LISBON — An area behind Route 196 that once served as an illegal dumping ground for household junk has been cleared out, cleaned up and may serve as a home to new or expanding businesses.
Work already has begun at 177 Lisbon Road.
A new road is under construction. Earth-moving equipment is flattening the ground and preparing for possible construction. New granite blocks waiting for installation tease a plan aiming for a high-end campus-like feel.
“This is significant for us in Lisbon,” said Scott Benson, the town’s economic and community development director. Right now, the town gets little interest from businesses looking to settle into an industrial or commercial business park.
Larger towns on either side — Topsham, Brunswick and Bath to the East, Lewiston and Auburn to the West — all have so-called “shovel ready” sites.
“It puts us in a game that we’re not in right now,” Benson said. “We’d like to get in there and compete. Absolutely.”
The site, marked by a new “Premier Development” sign on Route 196, is across the street from the flea market just west of Route 9.
Plans working their way through the town’s approval process call for business lots, ranging in size from four to 24 acres. Through the subdivision, a road would link Route 196 and the nearby Moody Road.
Developer Scott Kelly of Premier Development L.L.C. declined to comment Monday on the project, saying he was awaiting further action by town officials.
The town’s Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m. April 26 to hear more details on the proposed development.
Benson said he is excited by a park’s ability to draw jobs.
“Obviously, we’re in a tough economy, and we’ve all felt the effects of that,” he said. “But we know these things become cyclical. There’ll be a rebound. We’ll see things start to bloom again.”
Lisbon needs to be ready for it.
Easy-to-develop sites need to be available, not only for new businesses but for those already in town that may have outgrown their current location, Benson said. There are several good sites along Route 196, but more are needed.
“Unless we have these kinds of opportunities, we stand to lose,” Benson said.
dhartill@sunjournal.com
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- Scott Kelly purchased the former Dragon Sand and Gavel pit off Route 196 in Lisbon and wants to develop a business park there.
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