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full size factory of the future building UMO - photo is credited to the University of Maine

MEREDA’s Morning Menu – MEREDA Welcomes Dr. Habib Dagher, Executive Director, Advanced Structures and Composites Center, UMO

November 17, 2025

December 16, 2025 - 8:30 - 10:00 amBuffet Breakfast: 8:30-9:00 amProgram: 9:00-10:00 am Location: McGoldrick Career & Student Success Center35 Bedford Street, Portland, ME About the Event:Dr. Habib Dagher will provide ...

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Nominations Now Being Accepted for MEREDA’s 2025 Notable Project Awards

November 14, 2025

Each year, MEREDA identifies and recognizes the most noteworthy and significant Maine commercial development projects from the previous year, all of which embody MEREDA’s belief in responsible development. Nominations are ...

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Aerial view of Notable Project Receipient Nightingale & State Street Campus Redevelopment

The Right Equation for Responsible Development: Spotlight on Nightingale & State Street Campus Redevelopment (Portland)

November 4, 2025

MEREDA Recognizes its 2024 Notable Project Award Recipients - Each year, the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) recognizes some of the state’s most “noteworthy and significant” real estate ...

MEREDA Recognizes its 2024 Notable Project Award Recipients - Each year, the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) recognizes some of the state’s most “noteworthy and significant” real estate projects, completed in the previous year. The exemplary projects from across the state, completed in 2024, not only embody MEREDA’s belief in responsible real estate development, but also exemplify best practices in the industry, contributing to Maine’s economic growth by significant investment of resources and job creation statewide. This year, MEREDA honored projects from throughout the state, with each receiving special recognition at MEREDA’s 2025 “Notable Night” social celebration in May. In a multi-part series exclusive to the Maine Real Estate Insider, we’ll provide an up-close look at the most notable commercial development projects of the past year that are helping to fuel Maine’s economy in terms of investment and job creation. MEREDA is proud to recognize responsible development based upon criteria including environmental sustainability, economic impact, energy efficiency, difficulty of the development, uniqueness, social impact and job creation. Mainebiz also featured each of our Notable Project Recipients in their inaugural “Groundbreaking Maine” publication. Be sure to check it out! https://www.mainebiz.biz/special-edition/groundbreaking-maine-2025 MEREDA’s 2024 Top 9 recipients include: Firehouse Village, Firehouse Ventures & Avesta Housing (Scarborough) 99 Western Apartments, Mastway Development (Augusta) The Malone Family Tower, MaineHealth and Perkins&Will (Portland) Seaport Community Health Center, Penobscot Community Health Care (Belfast) Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument: Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, Elliotsville Foundation (T3 R7 WELS) Vertical Harvest, Vertical Harvest Maine (Westbrook) Stacy M. Symbol Apartments, Westbrook Development Corporation (Westbrook) Nightingale & State Street Campus Redevelopment, NewHeight Group & Redfern Properties (Portland) Front Street Redevelopment, Portland Housing Authority (Portland) Please join us this week in celebrating Nightingale & State Street Campus Redevelopment. MEREDA: Describe the building and project. NewHeight Group & Redfern Properties: Redevelopment of the Mercy Hospital State Street campus into a high-density, mixed-income residential campus featuring 260 new apartments and 9 new homes, a self-storage facility, and several small retail spaces is an excellent example of smart growth. The project involved adaptive reuse of the historic hospital building, creation of outdoor public space in a shared woonerf, improvements to existing utility infrastructure, implementation of a Traffic Demand Management Plan to encourage and support alternative forms of transportation, and provision of a range of housing choice (market rate, affordable, and workforce), both for rent and for sale. In addition, the redevelopment transformed surface parking into housing, recreated the street wall along Winter Street, and stitched back together the neighborhood that had been divided when the hospital was built. MEREDA: What was the impetus for this project? NewHeight Group & Redfern Properties: 2Northern Light Mercy Hospital issued a Request for Proposals in July of 2018. NewHeight Group was invited to respond along with approximately 50 other firms. NHG submitted a proposal in November 2018 with development team members Community Housing of Maine and the Portland Housing Authority. In December of 2018, NHG was one of three teams invited to interview with the selection committee. In January 2019, NewHeight Group’s successful best and final proposal was selected. MEREDA: That sounds like quite a process. How long were you in the planning stages before construction started? NewHeight Group & Redfern Properties: In October of 2019 NewHeight Group executed the Purchase & Sale agreement with Northern Light Health. In December of that year, NewHeight Group entered into an agreement with Redfern Properties to complete the project as 50/50 partners. The acquisition was finalized in February of 2020 (just three weeks before Covid hit!), and the development team launched into rezoning the property, planning, permitting, extension of the period of significance for the existing National Register district, local historic approvals, Part 1 approval from the National Park Service, and hiring Zachau Construction as Construction Manager at-Risk. The project was granted full planning board approval in August of 2021. MEREDA: Tell us about the most challenging aspect of getting this project completed. NewHeight Group & Redfern Properties: This project had myriad challenges. Perhaps the largest was that Mercy Hospital, the primary building, was an operating hospital right up until construction start, so the development team was unable to do any exploratory demolition prior to construction start. The building was known to contain asbestos containing material (mostly pipe wrap), but exactly how much was unknown. The building’s low ceilings also presented significant design and coordination challenges. The project also included undergrounding of existing utilities to make room for three new buildings along Winter Street—an extraordinarily complicated undertaking in this location. MEREDA: Something unexpected you learned along the way was…. NewHeight Group & Redfern Properties: The development team was surprised to discover that what appeared to be original historic wooden columns buried in the walls were in fact made of concrete wrapped in a wooden veneer. While it is less surprising that many people feel a connection to the old hospital building – births, deaths, a long tenure as employee – the overwhelming number of people with a connection was a surprise. MEREDA: Now that it’s complete, what feature of the project do you think makes it the most notable? NewHeight Group & Redfern Properties: Perhaps the most notable element of this project is the woonerf, a Dutch term meaning “Street for Living” which describes a space shared by pedestrians, cyclists, and cars. The woonerf is interior to the block between the historic hospital building now known as the Nightingale, and the two new construction affordable apartment buildings developed by Community Housing of Maine in partnership with the Portland Housing Authority. The woonerf functions as a shared public outdoor space and binds the buildings into a campus. The flush condition of the woonerf, along with landscaping and seating, invites pedestrian use while also allowing for slow vehicle movement and parking.

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MEREDA’s Fall Conference outlines challenges and opportunities

October 28, 2025

Portland, Maine - MEREDA hosted its Fall Conference on October 23rd where nearly 300 real estate professionals gathered at USM’s Hannaford Hall. The focus of the half-day conference was to ...

Portland, Maine - MEREDA hosted its Fall Conference on October 23rd where nearly 300 real estate professionals gathered at USM’s Hannaford Hall. The focus of the half-day conference was to discuss the challenges faced when completing housing projects and to learn about innovative approaches to increasing the number of housing units completed. Housing creation is one of Maine’s most significant needs and MEREDA’s event provided an opportunity for industry professionals to hear different perspectives from local, regional, and national experts on this important and complex issue. “MEREDA is actively working on solutions at the State and local levels,” explained Shannon Richards, founder of Hay Runner and MEREDA’s volunteer president. “This conference is an opportunity for MEREDA members to hear firsthand from peers who are actively involved in the housing effort on a daily basis.” The conference opened with a keynote presentation from Dr. Christopher Herbert, Managing Director of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, who cautioned the audience to be prepared for some gloom and doom. As he explained, there’s no silver bullet for the housing crisis. Home affordability is an issue nationwide with no simple solution. And although the situation here is dire, Dr. Herbert assured the audience that housing isn’t as bad in Maine as it is in other parts of the country. And, he left the audience with the optimistic notion that there are innovative – and feasible -- solutions. The morning continued with a mid-year economic update from Kenneth J. Entenmann, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Economist, NBT Bank/NBT Wealth. Entenmann looked at the impact of tariffs, immigration, taxes and regulation on housing and the overall economy. He sees no sign of a deep dark recession and sees strength in the economy. However, he doesn’t see much that would improve affordability for first-time home buyers. Summing things up, Entenmann said, “Overall, things are less uncertain that a year ago. That doesn’t mean they are all better, but the market does like certainty.” Elizabeth Frazier, Partner at Pierce Atwood, moderated a discussion on municipal challenges faced not only by developers, but also by municipalities. Panelists included Vanessa L. Farr from Haley Ward, Hope Eye from Eastern Maine Development Corp., and Benjamin R.K. Breadmore from the Town of Holden. In that discussion it became clear that with municipal budgets stretched thin, code enforcement officers often carry additional responsibilities, and some ideas were presented to improve the consistency of code enforcement and expediency of permitting. Dr. Herbert returned to the stage to lead a discussion on innovative solutions. The panel included Rebecca Hatfield from Hancock Lumber, Kyle Barker from Primary Projects, and Chris Marshall from GreenMars. The group discussed the pros and cons of a wide variety of housing solutions ranging from modular and panelized construction to tiny homes, condos, single family homes, and co-housing ideas. To make these ideas workable solutions would require some changes both in terms of zoning and expectations of the marketplace. The consensus of the panel was that while not everything will work, it is worth trying new approaches to the development of housing units of all types. With our need for more housing becoming more dire every moment, having collaborative discussions and learning of other creative building solutions is essential for Maine’s future success. MEREDA remains committed to creating the opportunities for experts and novices from all walks of real estate to come together and work together on meaningful solutions that benefit all.

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Deadline Extended for Nominations for 2022 Notable Project Awards

December 20, 2022

Nominations are still being accepted for MEREDA's Notable Project Awards. The recipients will be recognized at our Annual Spring Conference in 2023. In order to be considered, all projects must be ...

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Maine is readying new public-private financing tool to facilitate “green” development

December 6, 2022

Commercial property assessed clean energy (C-PACE) financing has enabled at least $2 billion of energy-saving upgrades in other states, but Maine bankers fear it will bring added risk to mortgage ...

Commercial property assessed clean energy (C-PACE) financing has enabled at least $2 billion of energy-saving upgrades in other states, but Maine bankers fear it will bring added risk to mortgage lenders. Maine officials are finalizing a new statewide program that will allow commercial property owners and developers to finance energy-saving building upgrades at a lower annual cost through public-private partnerships among property owners, lenders and municipalities. Known as commercial property assessed clean energy (C-PACE) financing, the program was authorized by Maine lawmakers in 2021 via the passage of LD 340. Rulemaking is being conducted by Efficiency Maine Trust, which will administer the C-PACE program, and that process is expected to be completed in the next few months. C-PACE programs are designed to make it more affordable for property owners to finance energy-saving building upgrades through an innovative lending structure. Traditionally, construction and retrofitting of commercial buildings is financed with real estate loans whose repayment terms typically range from five to 10 years with a balloon payment due at the end. In contrast, C-PACE programs only cover the cost of energy-saving upgrades, offer terms of 15 to 30 years and are fully amortized with no balloon payment at the end. At least two dozen states and the District of Columbia have active C-PACE programs in place. Those programs have resulted in more than $2 billion in private capital investment in energy-saving commercial building upgrades, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Connecticut was the first state to launch a C-PACE program in 2013. Since then, the state’s program has financed more than 350 green construction projects valued at over $230 million in total. Those projects have prevented an estimated 927,000 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted, the rough equivalent of taking 185,000 cars off the road. Some Maine developers say C-PACE will be the most significant new commercial real estate financing tool introduced in the state in decades. It can be used to finance the energy-saving features of new buildings or upgrades to existing structures. The program’s goal is to facilitate a more rapid shift toward energy-efficient buildings in Maine, where many older commercial properties such as apartments, offices and hotels lack modern energy-saving features. Heating, cooling and lighting of buildings is responsible for 30 percent of Maine’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Maine Climate Council. Homes emit 19 percent, while commercial buildings account for 11 percent. “We’re excited about the potential impact of the C-PACE program and think it’s going to help resolve significant problems in the market,” said James Neal, senior program manager of finance initiatives at Efficiency Maine. But the C-PACE program is not without controversy. The Maine banking industry lobbied against the program’s enabling legislation and has expressed skepticism about the benefits of C-PACE financing compared with more traditional construction loans. Under Maine’s program, a property owner’s mortgage lenders must agree to participate in any deals because C-PACE lenders get priority to collect past-due payments in a foreclosure. For that reason, it’s unclear how effective Maine’s program will be in terms of spurring green development. But developers point to banks’ acceptance of C-PACE deals in other states as cause for optimism. Mark Stasium, director of commercial real estate lending at Camden National Bank, said the industry is still “trying to get its arms around” the potential risks and benefits of Maine’s new C-PACE program. “As a general rule, bankers don’t like liens that have priority over our mortgages,” he said. “In a default situation, the C-PACE loan is going to have priority over the bank.” The Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) is hosting a breakfast panel from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, at Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland to discuss the new program. Panelists will include Michael Doty of Nuveen Green Capital, the nation’s leading C-PACE loan provider, James Neal of Efficiency Maine and Mark Stasium of Camden National Bank. The panel will be moderated by Paul Peck, founder of LWS Development and attorney at Drummond & Drummond. Peck said Maine’s development community and property owners are thrilled the state enacted a new financing tool to help further its energy-efficiency goals. “C-PACE will give developers and property owners another financing option, which will help get new development projects started and existing properties brought up to current energy-efficiency standards,” he said. “Given the huge spike in commercial interest rates, another financing tool is just what developers and property owners need.” C-PACE financing is conducted through private lenders but is separate from a property’s other mortgage loans. With C-PACE financing, the responsibility for continued loan repayment is attached to the property itself and can be transferred to the property’s new owner in the event of a sale. The building owner’s local municipality must have opted into the C-PACE program via a local ordinance, since it will be involved in attaching the debt to the property. The cities of Portland, South Portland and Westbrook already have potential C-PACE projects in the pipeline, although no local ordinances will be considered until after the rulemaking is completed. Michael Doty, director of originations for New England at Nuveen Green Capital, said hundreds of cities and lenders in other states have come around to embracing C-PACE financing once they became more familiar with how the programs work. He said C-PACE financing not only can help reduce Maine’s greenhouse gas emissions but also facilitate affordable housing development by making green multifamily projects feasible that otherwise wouldn’t be. Doty aims to convince more Maine lenders and municipalities to get on board. “It can never be used in circumstances where the local bankers and municipalities aren’t comfortable with it,” he said.

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MEREDA Inducts Four Exceptional Individuals to Honorary Board as Directors Emeritus

November 29, 2022

PORTLAND, Maine -- On November 3, 2022, the Maine Real Estate and Development Association (MEREDA) inducted four exceptional individuals to their Honorary Board as Directors Emeritus. The MEREDA Board of ...

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The Right Equation for Responsible Development: Spotlight on Deering Place

November 22, 2022

Each year, the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) recognizes some of the state’s most “noteworthy and significant” real estate projects, completed in the previous year. The exemplary projects from across the state, completed in 2021, not only embody MEREDA’s belief in responsible real estate development, but also exemplify best practices in the industry, contributing to Maine’s economic growth by significant investment of resources and job creation statewide. This year, MEREDA honored projects from Portland to Biddeford to Bangor, with each receiving special recognition at MEREDA’s 2022 Spring Conference on May 24th. In a multi-part series exclusive to the Maine Real Estate Insider, we’ll provide an up-close look at the most notable commercial development projects of the past year that are helping to fuel Maine’s economy in terms of investment and job creation. MEREDA is proud to recognize responsible development based upon criteria including environmental sustainability, economic impact, energy efficiency, difficulty of the development, uniqueness, social impact and job creation. MEREDA’s 2021 Top 7 recipients include: Harold Alfond Hall, Husson University (Bangor) Thornton Heights Commons, South Portland Housing Development Corporation (South Portland) Harnois & Emery Apartments, Westbrook Housing, Westbrook Development Corporation, and Anew Development (Westbrook) Riverdam Mill Complex, Port Property (Biddeford) 40 Free Street, JB Brown & Sons & Ryan Senatore Architecture, (Portland) Deering Place, Zachau Construction & Avesta Housing, (Portland) Children’s Museum + Theatre Maine, Zachau Construction (Portland) Please join us this week in celebrating Deering Place. MEREDA: Describe the building and project. Deering Place: Deering Place: Deering Place preserves, redevelops, and expands aﬀordable housing in a highly desirable and accessible location within Portland, Maine. Deering Place is a 75-unit, mixed-income development that includes a major renovation of 13 existing units and the construction of two new residential buildings on lots adjacent to the existing building. Upon completion, there are 62 new units. Amenities include a new community room, laundry rooms, and indoor parking that will be accessible to residents in all buildings. There will be easily-accessible walkways and sitting areas. There is currently a community policing office onsite that will remain. Deering Place comes at a time when the need for affordable housing in Portland is greater than ever. MEREDA: What was the impetus for this project? Deering Place: Deering Place: Deering Place set to preserve, redevelop, and expand aﬀordable housing in a highly desirable and accessible location within Portland, Maine. The development site contained three contiguous lots in a highly walkable area in the historic Parkside neighborhood in downtown Portland. Deering Place is in close proximity to daily amenities and services within the downtown area, which makes it a prime location for housing. MaineHealth, Deering Oaks park, a pharmacy, bus stops, schools, grocery stores, shops and restaurants are all within a half mile. Deering Place: Deering Place is a 75-unit, mixed-income development that included a major renovation of 13 existing units and the construction of two new residential buildings on lots adjacent to the existing building. Deering Place comes at a time when the need for affordable housing in Portland is greater than ever. MEREDA: That sounds like quite a process. How long were you in the planning stages before construction started? Deering Place: Deering Place: As the construction management partner on the project, we were in the planning stages with Avesta Housing for about a year and a half. MEREDA: Tell us about the most challenging aspect of getting this project completed. Deering Place: Deering Place: Budget constraints required creative scope adjustments to deliver high-quality, energy-efficient buildings that meet design requirements within national historic district and performance standards from the City, MaineHousing, and HUD. The capital stack included seven sources and nine financing partners, including some entirely new to Maine. Additionally, Deering Place was a complex construction project on a tight urban site in an historic district mixing occupied rehab, adaptive reuse, and new construction. MEREDA: Now that it’s complete, what feature of the project do you think makes it the most notable? Deering Place: Deering Place: Deering Place offers affordable housing in downtown Portland, putting residents at the center of services and jobs. The desire for this level of housing is so great that Avesta Housing had over 800 applications for 75 units. This location is close to public transportation, food, services, and health care. In addition to this project being noteworthy in its ability to fill a void in downtown Portland for low-income housing, the construction of the project itself was notable in that it was an occupied rehabilitation. This tight location has 3 buildings, one of which had to meet historical renovations standards to fit in with the Parkside neighborhood.

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REGISTRATION IS OPEN! MEREDA’s Signature Event is January 26, 2023

November 14, 2022

MEREDA's 2023 Annual Forecast Conference & Member Showcase will be held in-person at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. Join us and the top minds in real estate for MEREDA's ...

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DevelopME Lunch & Learn – Beginning a Development Relationship with MaineHousing

November 3, 2022

When:Wednesday, November 30, 2022 Time:11:30am-1:00pm Where:Portland Elks Club, 1945 Congress Street, Portland, ME ABOUT THE EVENT: MaineHousing Senior Director of Finance and Lending, Adam Krea, and Director of Development, Mark Wiesendanger, will discuss ...

When:Wednesday, November 30, 2022 Time:11:30am-1:00pm Where:Portland Elks Club, 1945 Congress Street, Portland, ME ABOUT THE EVENT: MaineHousing Senior Director of Finance and Lending, Adam Krea, and Director of Development, Mark Wiesendanger, will discuss new programs at MaineHousing that may be of interest to developers curious about working in the affordable housing field. These programs have proven successful with new development partners due to less stringent funding sources, small project sizes, and more overall flexibility. Join them in a conversation about these new programs as well as planned technical assistance resources for newer developers – all with an eye towards creating new relationships and partnerships to help reduce Maine’s housing shortage. Adam S. Krea is MaineHousing’s Senior Director of Finance and Lending. Mr. Krea was most recently a Managing Director at Hilltop Securities Inc. in Lincoln, Rhode Island. He previously served as Deputy Director of MaineHousing from 2005 until 2012 and as Assistant Treasurer of State of the State of Maine from 1998 until 2005. Mr. Krea received his B.A. from Middlebury College. Mark C. Wiesendanger is MaineHousing’s Director of Development and has been with MaineHousing since May 2016. Previously he was employed by HUD in Seattle, Washington, and Washington, D.C. where he was appointed as a Presidential Management Fellow. Mr. Wiesendanger received a B.S. from the University of Southern Maine and an M.B.A. from Seattle University. Refund Policy: Your RSVP is requested by November 23. Payment is expected at the time of registration. No refunds will be granted to anyone who registers, but fails to attend or who cancels after November 23. Ticket Prices:Members: $15 each | Non-Members: $25 eachPrices increase by $10 after November 23 Pre-registration is required. www.mereda.org THIS EVENT SPONSORED BY: M&T Bank

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Election day is next week. We encourage you to vote and make your voice heard!

November 1, 2022

On November 8, 2022, Portland voters will consider 13 ballot questions, consisting of five proposed Citizen’s Initiative questions and eight proposed Portland Charter Commission questions. These 13 questions, an unusually large amount for any one election, would significantly threaten Portland’s long-term viability. Specifically, four of the five Citizen’s Initiative questions, which are sponsored by the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, would drive rents up, make it harder to live in Portland, force restaurants to hire fewer workers, and cost taxpayers millions of dollars. They are: Question B – An Act to Reduce the Number of Short-Term Rentals in Portland: This proposal would restrict short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs, in Portland to only those that are owner-occupied, tenant-occupied, or is one unit of an owner-occupied duplex. Further, it would reduce the cap on non-owner-occupied short-term rentals from 400 to approximately 170. Additionally, it would increase the fees for all short-term rentals. Question C – An Act to Protect Tenants in Portland: This proposal would reduce the allowable increase for cost of living to 70% of CPI annually. Further, this proposal would remove the allowable annual increase due to an increase in property taxes. Additionally, this proposal would increase notice for rent increase and lease terminations from 75 days to 90 days. Question D – An Act to Eliminate Sub-Minimum Wage, Increase Minimum Wages and Strengthen Protections for Workers: This proposal would raise the minimum wage to $18 per hour on January 1, 2025, while expanding the definition of covered employees/employers to include tax drivers, rideshare drivers, and delivery services. Further, this proposal would impact hazard pay at $27 per hour during declared states of emergency. Additionally, this proposal would eliminate the tip credit by January 1, 2025, so all employees previously eligible for tips would instead be paid $18 per hour. Question E – An Act to Restrict Cruise Ships in Order to Reduce Congestion and Pollution: This proposal would require cruise ships to obtain a permit from the city that limit the number of passengers who may disembark to no more than 1,000 people on a given day, in aggregate. A competing referendum question, Question A – An Act to Regulate Short-Term Rentals in Portland and Prohibit Corporate and Absentee Operation of Short-Term Rental Properties, would retain the 400-unit cap on non-owner-occupied short-term rentals, but would limit registration for non-owner-occupied short-term rentals to only local residents (those residing within 20 miles of Portland), single-member LLCs owned by local residents, or units where a local resident has been designated to be available 24 hours per day to respond to complaints about a unit. Voters will also face eight questions proposed by the Portland Charter Commission’s Amendments to the Portland City Charter. They are: Question 1 – Preamble and Land Acknowledgement: This amendment would revise the existing preamble and insert an acknowledgement that Portland sits on unceded Wabanaki land. Question 2 – Governance: This amendment would establish an executive mayor, allow the council to remove or censure the mayor, change from a city manager to a chief administrator, increase the number of city council seats from nine (9) to twelve (12), and make several other changes to governance. Question 3 – Clean Elections: This amendment would create a municipal clean elections program. Question 4 – Proportional Ranked-Choice Voting: This amendment would authorize the city to use a proportional ranked-choice voting method for elections in which more than one person is to be elected for a single office. Question 5 – School Budget Autonomy: This amendment would change the school budget adoption process by transferring school budget adoption authority from the city council to the school board. Question 6 – Peaks Island Council: This amendment would maintain the ordinance establishing the Peaks Island Council as an elected advisory body to the city council. Question 7 – Civilian Police Review Board: This amendment would replace the Police Citizen Review Subcommittee with a civilian police review board consisting of nine (9) or more members. Question 8 – Ethics Commission and Code of Ethics: This amendment would require the City Council to form an independent Ethics Commission and adopt a Code of Ethics recommended by the Ethics Commission. Election day is next week. We encourage you to vote and make your voice heard, as these questions could affect Portland for years to come. Absentee voting is currently underway. Maine citizens who are registered to vote may use the Maine Absentee Ballot Request service to request an absentee ballot for the November 8, 2022 General Election. Absentee ballots must be received no later than 8:00 p.m. EDT on Election Day.

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MEREDA’s Morning Menu – Navigating Urban Fill and Contaminated Media in Real Estate Development – What to Expect Before and After Breaking Ground

October 28, 2022

In Person. Pre-Registration Required. Where:Holiday Inn By the Bay88 Spring StreetPortland, ME When:November 10, 2022 Time:Breakfast: 7:30 – 8:00 AMProgram: 8:00 – 9:00 AM About the Event: Real estate development ...

In Person. Pre-Registration Required. Where:Holiday Inn By the Bay88 Spring StreetPortland, ME When:November 10, 2022 Time:Breakfast: 7:30 – 8:00 AMProgram: 8:00 – 9:00 AM About the Event: Real estate development routinely involves properties with urban fill or contaminated soil and groundwater. Fully understanding whether these conditions exist is important to the development process. With the ever-changing regulatory environment, the costs associated with managing urban fill and contaminated media affects the project’s feasibility, design, construction approach, and financing. These environmental conditions can have a significant financial impact on development projects and should be understood as early as possible. This presentation will provide attendees with an understanding of the commonly encountered site conditions that present environmental liability, what impacts these have on financing, and how they affect the real estate development process. This presentation will provide the audience with case studies and lessons learned from projects where urban fill and contaminated media were successfully managed from the point of identification through the completion of construction. Our panel of experts include Brian Bachmann, Project Manager & Geologist at St.Germain, Joe Dasco, Principal at Reger Dasco Properties, and Kim Twitchell, Maine Regional President of NBT Bank. MEREDA Vice President, Shannon Richards of Hay Runner will moderate the program. Join us on November 10th! Registering for this Event:Members: $45 each | Non-Members: $55 eachPrices increase by $10 after November 3 Registration Closes at 4:00pm November 9 Your RSVP is requested by November 3. Payment is expected at the time of registration. No refunds will be granted to anyone who registers, but fails to attend or who cancels after November 3. CLICK HERE for more information and to register. This MEREDA Morning Menu Breakfast Event is Sponsored by Norway Savings Bank & St.Germain.

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The Right Equation for Responsible Development: Spotlight on Children’s Museum + Theatre

October 11, 2022

Each year, the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) recognizes some of the state’s most “noteworthy and significant” real estate projects, completed in the previous year. The exemplary projects from across the state, completed in 2021, not only embody MEREDA’s belief in responsible real estate development, but also exemplify best practices in the industry, contributing to Maine’s economic growth by significant investment of resources and job creation statewide. This year, MEREDA honored projects from Portland to Biddeford to Bangor, with each receiving special recognition at MEREDA’s 2022 Spring Conference on May 24th. In a multi-part series exclusive to the Maine Real Estate Insider, we’ll provide an up-close look at the most notable commercial development projects of the past year that are helping to fuel Maine’s economy in terms of investment and job creation. MEREDA is proud to recognize responsible development based upon criteria including environmental sustainability, economic impact, energy efficiency, difficulty of the development, uniqueness, social impact and job creation. MEREDA’s 2021 Top 7 recipients include: Harold Alfond Hall, Husson University (Bangor) Thornton Heights Commons, South Portland Housing Development Corporation (South Portland) Harnois & Emery Apartments, Westbrook Housing, Westbrook Development Corporation, and Anew Development (Westbrook) Riverdam Mill Complex, Port Property (Biddeford) 40 Free Street, JB Brown & Sons & Ryan Senatore Architecture, (Portland) Deering Place, Zachau Construction & Avesta Housing, (Portland) Children’s Museum + Theatre Maine, Zachau Construction (Portland) Please join us this week in celebrating Children’s Museum + Theatre Maine. MEREDA: Describe the building and project. Children’s Museum + Theatre: The Children’s Museum + Theatre of Maine has been a longstanding staple of the Southern Maine Community. Offering a location for Children to play, explore and learn. The Children’s Museum launched a $14Million Capital Campaign to build the 30,000 SF new building on Thompson’s Point in Portland. Zachau Construction completed this project, delivering an iconic Portland building that can be seen from I295 and will be a place of exploration for Maine’s young community. The Museum will offer many new exhibits, each one was specifically reworked after the initial plans were created to make sure that people with disabilities can do as much as possible in the museum. MEREDA: What was the impetus for this project? Children’s Museum + Theatre: The new CMTM, increased from a smaller footprint in downtown Portland to 30,000 SF on Thompson’s Point which increased the need for staffing within the organization. Additionally, as the location has moved to location much more accessible to the public, this increases revenue for the organization and creates another attraction in Portland. MEREDA: That sounds like quite a process. How long were you in the planning stages before construction started? Children’s Museum + Theatre: As the construction management partner on the project, we were in the planning stages with the Children’s Museum + Theatre for about a four years. MEREDA: Tell us about the most challenging aspect of getting this project completed. Children’s Museum + Theatre: As with all builds in 2020 and 2021, we had to overcome the uncertainty of COVID 19 and delays and supply chain issues associated with the pandemic. In addition to the pandemic the site where the building sits had to be stabilized to support the building. We used a method called Surcharge or preloading, which is used by the soil engineers to improve the weak compressible earth, by subjecting the site to an additional fill. MEREDA: Something unexpected you learned along the way was…. Children’s Museum + Theatre: The building features a unique colorful siding that mimics patterns found in nature. Also a giant one-of-a-kind periscopic camera obscura owned by the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine. The camera’s high-end optics, including a special aluminum-coated mirror used in large telescopes and two precision lenses fabricated by Kodak Inc.’s military division, will project the panoramic views visible from the rooftop down onto an exhibit table on the third floor, just as it did previously at the Free Street location. CMTM also has a live active beehive as one of its many state-of-the-art exhibits. MEREDA: Now that it’s complete, what feature of the project do you think makes it the most notable? Children’s Museum + Theatre: This noteworthy addition to Portland, Maine features a unique multi-color siding drawing attention to its location on Thompson’s Point. The siding was designed to support the museum’s mission to inspire discovery and imagination through exploration and play. The exterior is composed of painted metal shingles and inspired by patterns in nature, such as ripples on the water, butterfly wings, fish scales, etc. The project also features state-of-the-art exhibits, theatre and adds to the Maine Arts and Culture scene.

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The Right Equation for Responsible Development: Spotlight on 40 Free Street (Portland)

September 20, 2022

Each year, the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) recognizes some of the state’s most “noteworthy and significant” real estate projects, completed in the previous year. The exemplary projects from across the state, completed in 2021, not only embody MEREDA’s belief in responsible real estate development, but also exemplify best practices in the industry, contributing to Maine’s economic growth by significant investment of resources and job creation statewide. This year, MEREDA honored projects from Portland to Biddeford to Bangor, with each receiving special recognition at MEREDA’s 2022 Spring Conference on May 24th. In a multi-part series exclusive to the Maine Real Estate Insider, we’ll provide an up-close look at the most notable commercial development projects of the past year that are helping to fuel Maine’s economy in terms of investment and job creation. MEREDA is proud to recognize responsible development based upon criteria including environmental sustainability, economic impact, energy efficiency, difficulty of the development, uniqueness, social impact and job creation. MEREDA's 2021 Top 7 recipients include: Harold Alfond Hall, Husson University (Bangor) Harnois & Emery Apartments, Westbrook Housing, Westbrook Development Corporation, and Anew Development (Westbrook) Thornton Heights Commons, South Portland Housing Development Corporation (South Portland) Riverdam Mill Complex, Port Property (Biddeford) 40 Free Street, JB Brown & Sons & Ryan Senatore Architecture, (Portland) Deering Place, Zachau Construction & Avesta Housing, (Portland) Children's Museum + Theatre Maine, Zachau Construction (Portland) Please join us this week in celebrating 40 Free Street. MEREDA: Describe the building and project. 40 Free Street: Located in Portland’s Old Port, 40 Free Street is a new construction mixed-use building made up of five retail spaces at the street level and 51 market-rate apartment units on its upper floors. Prior to its development, the project site was occupied by a surface parking lot which limited density in Portland’s downtown urban core and fractured the historic streetscape along Free Street. Through development of an energy-efficient building, offering environmental, economic, and social benefits, the 40 Free Street project provides an architecturally holistic solution for its site and for downtown Portland. MEREDA: What was the impetus for this project? 40 Free Street: We felt the break in the pedestrian street wall was problematic, as were cars entering and exiting between buildings. This, coupled with the need for housing, we felt the project would be successful. MEREDA: That sounds like quite a process. How long were you in the planning stages before construction started? 40 Free Street: We started the planning/development process in early 2019, commenced construction in the summer of 2019 and opened in April 2021, so the full process was about 27 months. MEREDA: Tell us about the most challenging aspect of getting this project completed. 40 Free Street: Site work is always a challenge as is the final punch list for obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy, which was further complicated by the Pandemic. MEREDA: Something unexpected you learned along the way was…. 40 Free Street: That you can plan for typical bumps with any project, but the Pandemic was a new twist that we needed to manage through. MEREDA: Now that it’s complete, what feature of the project do you think makes it the most notable? 40 Free Street: How the building fits seamlessly into the urban fabric of Free Street.

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