RUMFORD – Lem Cissel sees a great future for the area. When he came to Rumford nearly three years ago, one of the first things he did was buy 450 acres on Isthmus Road, about a half-mile from Black Mountain of Maine.
Now, after two years of engineering and architectural planning, development of the largely wooded property into 278 units for single-family and duplex housing is about to begin.
A public informational meeting for review by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection has been set for 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19, in the auditorium of the Rumford Municipal Building.
The planned development will be reviewed by the DEP under the state’s Site Location Development Law and the Natural Resource Protection Act. The public is invited to provide comments on the planned project.
Scotty Brook runs through much of the parcel.
The selected name for the project, so far, is Scotty Brook.
Tentatively planned are 70, half-acre to one-acre single-family home lots and a number of two-family duplexes cluster developments, totally 278 housing units.
Cissel said Friday that the clusters will encompass three duplexes each designed in semi-circles. The single-family homes are expected to be priced from $250,000 up.
He said he expects the homes will be sold as seasonal and year-round homes. All homes, both single-family and duplexes, will have views of Black Mountain.
Plans are to sell large sections of the total acreage to builders who will then construct the homes. An architectural committee will be formed to oversee the design of the homes, he said.
Cissel has been working with the engineering firm of Main-Land Development Consultants of Livermore Falls and architect Bruce Taylor of Massachusetts.
If all goes well, ground is expected to be broken sometime next summer on the entrance road and about a mile of streets. He said he expects some building may begin before the end of 2006.
Also being tentatively planned within the next few years at the site are a community center, nine-hole golf course and tennis courts.
Cissel, doing business as Cissel Enterprises LLC, said he hopes the entire project will be completed in five years.
“I’m counting on Black Mountain quadrupling its attendance. Kids (in the development) can walk to Black Mountain,” he said.
He said his project and Black Mountain are working out a reciprocal promotional agreement.
The small, family-oriented ski area was purchased a couple of years ago by Maine Winter Sports. Since then, several million dollars have been spent in constructing a ski lodge and upgrading the trails and lifts.
“I see thing turning around in Rumford. The attitude of the management and the people has changed. I’m very optimistic,” he said.
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