A new medical facility is planned for the former Maine Rubber property in Westbrook.
A quick-care medical office could soon be constructed on the former Maine Rubber International property in Westbrook – a parcel at the city’s western gateway that city officials have long sought to utilize.
ConvenientMD, which operates a number of urgent-care and walk-in medical clinics in New Hampshire, would open its first clinic in Maine if the project is approved by the Planning Board.
The company uses a quick-care model, which focuses on fast, efficient and cost-effective medical care. Since 2012, ConvenientMD has opened eight locations, including one in Nashua, N.H., on Wednesday.
Max Puyanic, ConvenientMD co-founder, told the American Journal Wednesday that the company sees similar needs in Maine that have allowed it to grow in New Hampshire, including the high average costs of health care in New England.
If all goes to plan, he said, the Westbrook location would open by early 2017.
“Westbrook is the kind of community we like,” Puyanic said, adding that people often have to travel to Portland for care. “We think there’s a lack of urgent-care services available west of Portland.”
Mercy Hospital operates an urgent-care facility on Park Road, at the former Westbrook Hospital.
According to Jennie Franceschi, Westbrook’s interim city planner, there has been no formal submission to the Planning Department yet, but the city is expecting to receive a site plan within the week. The project will most likely appear on the Jan. 19 Planning Board agenda.
The parcel, prominently located at 942 Main St., is at the intersection of William Clarke Drive and Saco Street. The property was once Yudy’s Tire Co. and Maine Rubber International, started by the late Julius “Yudy” Elowitch and his two brothers. After Maine Rubber, a tire manufacturing facility, relocated in 1998, the building was rented for storage. The building finally was demolished in August 2013 following lengthy wrangling between the city and the property owner, David Elowitch.
Environmental issues at the site and the high cost of demolition prohibited redevelopment for years. However, in late 2011, the city secured a $125,000 grant to help pay for the demolition, and negotiated with Elowitch and his company, Storage Realty, to move the work forward.
During discussions leading up to the building’s demolition, Westbrook’s former economic development director, Keith Luke, had argued that a more attractive use of the site would help the surrounding economy.
Elowitch also owns a 12,000-square-foot warehouse building next door, at 920 Main St. Craft beer producer Mast Landing Brewing Co. just recently announced it was leasing the property, becoming the city’s first craft brewery and tasting room.
Bill Baker, the assistant city administrator for business and community relations, said this week that the city has worked collaboratively with Elowitch and Storage Realty to reuse the property.
“We are excited to bring an important, service-oriented business with a great reputation to that site,” he said Wednesday. “That news, coupled with the brewery moving in to their other building on that site, has led us from a state of slum and blight only a year or so ago to a time of strong economic activity and attractive new buildings and uses in this key downtown location.”
Storage Realty has been working with Mark Malone, of Malone Commercial Brokers, on the ConvenientMD project. Neither Elowitch nor Malone returned calls seeking comment by the American Journal’s deadline Wednesday.
Westbrook Mayor Colleen Hilton echoed Baker’s statements regarding the property. She said up until the Maine Rubber building was demolished, the city received complaints for many years regarding the “unsightly” property.
“We are excited that there is development happening that will result in a more attractive gateway property,” she said in an email Wednesday. “Additionally, the development of that property will generate employment and customer activity that will enhance the economic vitality of our downtown for existing and potential businesses.”
On Wednesday, the company was celebrating the opening of its newest location in Nashua, N.H. ConvenientMD is headquartered in Portsmouth, where another location will be opened in 2016. The business is part of a burgeoning trend in health care. Another company, ClearChoiceMD, also has a number of locations in New England, including one in Scarborough. Puyanic said Wednesday that ConvenientMD is also working on plans to open locations in Portland and Scarborough.
Puyanic said ConvenientMD is set up like an emergency department at a hospital. He said patients can utilize the urgent-care facility for common ailments such as the flu, but also for broken bones or stitches. Puyanic said ConvenientMD is “consumer-driven health care.” The business also offers X-ray and lab work. All locations are open seven days a week, 9 a.m-9 p.m.
Leading up to the project appearing before the Planning Board, city planners have been working with Elowitch and Puyanic on site plan details such as signage and parking. All of ConvenientMD’s locations use roughly the same building plans, and Puyanic said it’s just a matter of fitting that plan on the site.
At the corner of Saco Street and William Clarke Drive, looking east toward Main Street, the former Maine Rubber International property could be redeveloped into a new quick-care medical office, ConvenientMD. Staff photo by Andrew RiceSend questions/comments to the editors.
