LEWISTON — City councilors on Tuesday voted to postpone a vote on a letter of intent with a developer looking to bring food, music, events and other developments to Simard-Payne Memorial Park at 46 Beech St.

Councilors said they wanted more time for public input and to review the letter before authorizing anything. They directed staff to return with a revised letter and more information in addition to a community meeting that the developer, Eco Hospitality Consultants Inc., has already suggested.

Eco Hospitality, an entity run by Christopher Thompson of Thompson’s Point in Portland, introduced with Lewiston’s acting director of economic development John Blais intentions to bring life to Simard-Payne Memorial Park and its surroundings. 

The letter of intent illustrated plans for the sale of 39 Lincoln St. as intended under a 2011 agreement; the sale of the Red Shop at 38 Water St. for $305,000 and redevelopment into a food, beverage and event venue; expansion of the existing Hampton Inn or construction of a new hotel; and the creation of a 30-year tax increment financing agreement. 

The proposal also grants Eco Hospitality 10-year exclusive rights to promote national touring concerts and seasonal programming at Simard-Payne Memorial Park. The developer would have renewal options and would be required to pay the city $3,000 per concert and public safety and staffing costs.

The letter of intent is a nonbinding document serving “only as a framework for further negotiations toward a formal (joint development agreement) and Credit Enhancement Agreement.” 

Any binding agreements or decision-making, including the sale of the Red Shop, creation of a tax increment financing district, parking agreements, land transfers or other development agreements, would come at a later meeting and after at least one community meeting designed for public input, Blais said.

Thompson said the letter reflects a plan in its early stages that include either an expansion of the Hampton Inn or construction of a second hotel, a much-needed asset councilors agreed. He said most of 2027 would go to planning and design with construction potentially beginning at the end of the year or beginning of 2028.

The city has spent several years planning for investment in the riverfront district with officials working to transform Simard-Payne Memorial Park into a year-round destination, Blais and Thompson said. The park and its surroundings would include a new pavilion, expanded amphitheater, playground and splashpad, and river access.

Most recently, Maine MILL opened its new museum next to the park at 1 Beech St. 

The Red Shop specifically has been a subject of conversation for years. The roughly 2,400-square-foot building has been used most recently via lease with the city by Lewiston Rowing. The group has advocated for using the building as a community event venue while continuing to store its equipment there, said Lewiston Rowing Executive Director Amy Smith, who is also a member of the Lewiston Planning Board.

Lewiston Rowing leaders have come out against the proposed sale, arguing the building should continue to be under community control instead of being sold to a developer. 

Lewiston Rowing proposed an alternative in 2025 allowing the city to remain the owner of the Red Shop while leasing it to the nonprofit. According to that proposal, Lewiston Rowing would have a five- to 10-year lease on the building and would have financed renovations and programming at no cost to the city. Smith said the proposal did not receive any response from the city.

Additionally, Smith said the process by which Eco Hospitality’s letter of intent reached city council was “murky.”

The agenda was published on a Thursday preceding a holiday weekend and the matter was buried in the agenda with little suggesting its importance, Smith said. The sale of the Red Shop failed unanimously before the planning board when members questioned a lack of information about who would buy the building and how it would be used, she said. Asked for an executive session between the planning board and City Council, the planning board received no response. 

Planning and Code Enforcement Director Jon Connor said the request for an executive session went through his office and was mistakenly never forwarded to the council. 

“Last night’s meeting should have been like a love fest with Chris Thompson, who’s a very reputable, great developer,” Smith said. “But because of the way it was handled, I feel terrible that Chris might have the impression that we don’t want him to come. It’s just that it was so badly bungled by the city and the Department of Economic Development that it made it impossible to say yes.”

Smith said she believes that dozens of letters and significant public comment had an impact on the council’s decision to pump the brakes. 

Ward 2 Councilor Susan Longchamps said Wednesday that the council has been discussing the project, including the redevelopment of the Red Shop, for several years, spanning multiple economic development directors and her three-and-a-half-year tenure on the council. The council also met with Lewiston Rowing separately before deciding to move forward with Thompson’s proposal, she said.

“In my opinion, there was nothing unusual or different about the process compared to other city property sales or development agreements we have considered,” Longchamps said, adding that the city is grateful that Lewiston Rowing has kept the building active and brought rowing to the riverfront. “Ultimately, the city’s responsibility is to encourage development that makes this area more desirable for residents and visitors while also selling city-owned property that’s not being utilized in a way that helps lessen the tax burden on the residents of Lewiston.”

Councilors also questioned language giving the developer exclusive rights to promote nationally touring concerts at Simard-Payne Memorial Park. They also took issue with language suggesting the developer could use the space at the park however it sees fit, possibly affecting other events that are held in the space or general use of the park.

Thompson said, having drafted the letter himself, he did not intend to communicate that Eco Hospitality would have exclusive control over the park. He said a revised draft of the letter would more clearly reflect that existing and future events by the city and its partners would continue, along with community programming and general public use, alongside concerts and events promoted by Eco Hospitality. 

Mayor Carl Sheline said Wednesday that the way the issue was handled would falsely indicate Lewiston is “clearly not open for business.”

“It’s appalling that the council told a developer we were ready to move forward and then later backtracked publicly, claiming all sorts of questions and concerns,” Sheline said, adding that the project has had much discussion by the council in the past.

“This is a horrible way to do business and undermines the best efforts of our economic development department. Business is built on trust and the Lewiston council is starting to have a credibility problem with developers. Who is going to want to do business with us?”

The issue with the letter of intent is not the overarching development itself, Smith said, but is whether the city should sell a historic building rather than retaining it and leasing it to a private or nonprofit partner.

“At the end of the day, there’s no rush,” Smith said. “What’s our rush? Let’s get it right. That’s how we feel about it.”