This week the Buzz is looking ahead to sunshine and economic development.

The Boulos Company released its annual market outlook Friday and broker Tim Millett is forecasting good things for 2019.

In his 2018 recap, Millett noted Geiger renovating 40,000 square feet of its corporate office, Boston Brands of Maine expanding into 19,650 square feet near its headquarters on Saratoga Street in Lewiston and Baxter Brewing growing its taproom in the Bates Mill complex.

He counted 241 housing units — including the Hartley Block and 1048 Turner St. — under construction in the Twin Cities. And he noted the largest local sale: $7.1 million for 65 Mt. Auburn Avenue, which includes the Hobby Lobby building, from Schilling Drive to VEREIT, a real estate investment company in Phoenix.

In the year ahead, Millett expects to see continued development in downtown Lewiston with property owners taking advantage of state and federal tax credits for renovations in the new Commercial Historic District.

He elaborated on the region via email.

“I see new housing and businesses coming to the market in 2019,” Millett wrote. “I am also working with a few businesses in the greater Portland area who are finding they are priced out of the market, supplemented with a struggle to find workers in the immediate Portland area. These companies are now looking at the L-A market as an advantageous location due to an abundant labor market for employee hiring/retention mixed with decreased operating costs such as real estate lease and sale prices. There is no shortage of office space in L-A!”

Bring on the internet

Redzone Wireless announced Friday that after fielding more than 35,000 requests for expanded broadband service, it has picked 26 communities for 2019.

Among them: Durham, Greene, Lisbon, Livermore Falls, New Gloucester, New Sharon, Rumford, Wilton and Winthrop.

The service expansion will include more than 50,000 homes, according to a news release, bringing Redzone’s coverage up to 300,000 homes in Maine.

Gov. Janet Mills said in the same release that faster internet speeds, especially in rural areas, open more doors for business investment and educational opportunities and for attracting people to live and work here.

A company spokesperson said via email that the new cities and towns were picked based more on customer request than on whether or not they already had broadband services.

Rare apples’ cider toasted

Portersfield Cider last week took home a coveted Good Food Award for one of its small-batch ciders. The Pownal cidery and its tasting house were featured in the Sun Journal in summer 2017 — a nice reminder that summer and cider will be here again. 

And for your dinner party this weekend

A fun fact from the Lewiston City Administator’s Report for November, which came out on Thursday: Lewiston used 15,796 tons of asphalt during the 2018 paving season.

Have a personal favorite stretch?

Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.

The Boulos Co. broker Tim Millett (Submitted photo)

Redzone Wireless on Friday announced it was expanding broadband coverage to 26 more towns and cities in Maine, marked as red dots on the map. (Submitted graphic)

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