LEWISTON – The fate of the massive mill building at the corner of Main and Canal streets remained uncertain Friday, the deadline for developers to submit proposals for redevelopment.

At the close of business, only one proposal had been submitted for Bates Mill No. 5, the nearly 100-year-old weave shed that stands at the city’s western gateway. The proposal was delivered late Friday.

Despite the deadline, if other viable proposals for the mill come in, they could still be considered, City Council Chairman Tom Peters said.

“We’re not going to slam the door because it’s a few days late,” he said.

He said the city would take as much time as it needed to review any proposal. The council directed city staff in May to conduct a national search for a developer willing to undertake the revitalization of the 345,000-square-foot mill.

Peters wouldn’t have been surprised if there were no submissions, given the challenges of reviving the hulking giant in today’s economy. But the scant reply didn’t dim his enthusiasm for the potential of the mill site, as well as its neighbors along the city’s riverfront and canal system.

To allow for better planning of the area’s future, Peters asked city staff three weeks ago to schedule a discussion on adopting a moratorium for downtown development.

“I don’t want us looking at that area six months from now and asking ‘What happened?'” said Peters, speculating on the possibility of unwanted development, such as a gas station on Lisbon Street where the old Marco’s restaurant once stood.

He said the fate of a number of properties, including the burned-out block on Lisbon Street and Mill No. 5, give the city a rare opportunity to re-envision the downtown and what its future could be. To that end, Peters has been meeting informally with a group of people to brainstorm.

The moratorium is expected to be discussed at an Aug. 11 joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Board. Steve Morgan, chairman of the Planning Board, said he planned to let his board know of the topic at its meeting Monday.

Since the moratorium has not been enacted, Morgan said he had no opinion about it. But he did note that the board has historically deferred on passing moratoriums because they tie members’ hands. The last requested moratorium was declined in April when staff asked for a ban on clubs and bars near the Oak Street elderly housing complex to curb rowdiness.

“Moratoriums often just stall decision-making,” Morgan said. “We have preferred to deal with issues on a case-by-case basis.”

Lincoln Jeffers, city development director, said to his knowledge, no moratorium language has been submitted to the city. He doubts it would imperil any projects in the pipeline that might benefit the area, such as the Marriott Courtyard near the Cowan Mill.

“I think they’re looking to ensure that development downtown supports downtown revitalization as opposed to limiting it,” he said.

Peters said he wants to see the downtown’s future considered with a wider lens than was used by the task force that spent a year studying redevelopment options for Mill No. 5.

“The task force essentially came up with two options: knock it down or build a convention center,” Peters said. “The convention center is not viable. So if we knock it down, then what? I’ve been looking for a longer-term plan.”

He said a new approach centered on developing the city’s water assets – its canal system and river – could bring new jobs and make the city a destination for many people from western Maine. Without that influx, downtown development will stagnate.

“If we don’t draw from a larger catchment area of people, then we’ll end up opening four new restaurants and closing two,” he said.