A site plan for a large Westbrook retail center now called “Dirigo Plaza” was praised by Westbrook Planning Board members Tuesday for including pedestrian-friendly elements such as pond-view walkways and streetscape enhancements along Main Street.
The approximately 500,000-square-foot project will take over the land owned by Pike Industries, which still operates a deep gravel pit on site. Developer Jeffrey Gove of J&J Gove Development has said he has a purchase and sale agreement with Pike, pending the necessary permits to develop the property.
On Tuesday, the Westbrook Planning Board got its first crack at critiquing the project, and members were overwhelmingly supportive. Ever since the city received the initial development plans early this year, former City Planner Molly Just worked with Gove’s team to put more emphasis on pedestrian designs.
Wayne Morrill of Jones-Beach Engineers, which designed the project, presented the plans to the board Tuesday. The parcel is 81 acres, 20 of which is the gravel pit. However, the pit has become a major design element. Morrill said the pit, which is some 350-feet deep, will be allowed to fill with water and is expected to fill completely in two years. The project design includes a walkway surrounding the eventual pond, and, Gove said, it will be stocked with fish.
“It’s going to be the centerpoint of the entire plaza,” Morrill said about the pond, adding that fishing derbies and ice skating events could be held there.
The plan also calls for a heated bus stop near the pond.
Morrill said discussions with city planning staff resulted in some unique designs for certain parts of the plaza, including the small retail buildings along Main Street. He said while the back of the buildings will face the street, they have been designed to look like storefronts, complete with more “ornamental” signage.
“It will give that downtown Main Street type of feel,” he said.
It will also have walkways, benches and an informational kiosk.
Scott Collard, the landscape architect for the project, called much of his design an “urban downtown streetscape.” He said there was concern from the city about the face of the development, especially because it is at the gateway of the city.
“I’m really glad to see the way the buildings are becoming part of the streetscape,” said Planning Board member Rebecca Dillon.
Longtime Planning Board member Rene Daniel said the development has the potential to change the entire area for the better.
“It’s a fabulous way to use an area that’s been in the city for a long, long time,” he said. “Truly this is going to complete the gateway. It’s going to be an asset to Westbrook.”
“I love the idea of having recreation there,” said board member Robin Tannenbaum.
Developers refer to the design as having a north and south campus, separated by railroad tracks. On the southern side, the plan calls for one large retail building and a fueling station. The initial plans referred to this site as a potential wholesale club, and Gove has said if the retailer is approved, it would be the company’s first location in Maine – adding to speculation that it could be Costco.
As for other potential tenants, Gove said Tuesday that he has what he called “working leases’ for roughly 95 percent of the northern campus. He also said a fast – food chain could bring its first location in Maine.
There will be four entrances to the site: one located on Main Street, across from the Westbrook Crossing Shopping Center, two on Larrabee Road, across from Terminal Street and Saunders Way, and one off the Westbrook Arterial, allowing quick access from Interstate 95.
The project is expected to generate a lot of traffic. According to Jeff Dirk, a traffic engineer working on the development team, it is expected to produce some 2,400 “new trips” to the site on a peak weekend afternoon.
The Westbrook quarry is one of the longest-active pits in the Greater Portland area. According to a 2006 article in the American Journal, it was purchased by Blue Rock industries in 1942, and the quarry began life as an open gravel pit.
In the early 1940s, workers screened sand and smaller rocks from the pit for use in concrete and roofing materials, while crushing the remaining larger pieces into various smaller sizes for other uses. Blue Rock was a Maine-owned business, established by W.H. Hinman in the 1920s. Blue Rock was sold to Pike in 2006.
Morrill said the project would be constructed in a phased approach, starting with the Main Street side, but that all the site improvements would be done as part of phase 1. The developers expect to be back at the Planning Board for official site approval in January.
Gove still owns the Shops at Falmouth Village, and says he plans to keep this development in his family for a long time.
Daniel said he travels out of Westbrook to go to the Falmouth shops at least once a week.
“I need to spend my money closer to home,” he said.
The site plan for Dirigo Plaza, a 500,000-square-foot retail center proposed for the Pike Industries parcel in Westbrook, was presented to planning officials for the first time this week. The design features a pedestrian-friendly layout. Courtesy imageSend questions/comments to the editors.
