LEWISTON — With the sawtooth-roofed Bates Mill Building No. 5 gone, the lot between Lisbon and Lincoln streets would make a fine community park — or a grocery store.

Those are some of the findings in a progress report concerning a new master plan for Lewiston’s Riverfront Island. 

“I think one of the main goals is to decide what is going to really attract people to the downtown,” said consultant David Spillane, principal partner of Boston planning and engineering firm Goody Clancy.

City officials and consultants will review three scenarios for redeveloping the area during a public discussion at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the Bates Mill Atrium, 36 Chestnut St. 

The meeting is open to the public.

Consultants will take public comments from that meeting and come back with a draft plan for redeveloping the area between the Androscoggin River and the city’s canals. The area includes the Bates Mill Enterprise Complex and Bates Mill Building No. 5, Simard-Payne Memorial Park — formerly Railroad Park — upper Lincoln Street and the Franco-American Heritage Center.

The consultants have reached a number of conclusions based on tours of the area, discussions with residents, business owners and neighbors and two previous public meetings.

The river is a community asset and everyone benefits if better public access is built, similar to Auburn’s Riverwalk, according to consultants. They view the canals as an untapped resource and recommend lining them with bike paths and trails. 

They call for stronger links between Lisbon Street and the riverfront area, better lighting — including feature lights on the falls, bridges and canals — and better use of the remaining mill buildings, Museum L-A and the Franco-American Heritage Center.

But the huge, decaying Bates Mill No. 5 dominates the plan and the future of the area, according to the consultants’ memo. The memo outlines three scenarios for dealing with the building. Only one preserves it, saying the structure could be used for high-intensity purposes: public offices, a convention center or a recreation area.

The two remaining options call for demolishing the building. One calls for replacing it with a signature park or specially designed open space. The second suggests replacing it with a food-anchored retail center.

Spillane said that could be a specialty grocer like Whole Foods, a normal grocery store or a small pharmacy development.

“The market is there,” Spillane said. “We know that there is sufficient population within 5 miles that could make that successful.”

Spillane said the consultants’ research recognized demand for food and grocery retail within walking distance of the downtown.

But leaving the space open could also be a good use, he said. It could be made into a signature park for festivals and events.

“We’ve found many communities that did that successfully,” Spillane said. “It’d be a great opportunity for people to utilize that area.”

The city hired Goody Clancy earlier this year to help draft a development plan. The consultants took a walking tour of the area in September, capping months spent poring over previous studies of the downtown. After their walking tour in September, they spent several days meeting with residents, business owners and volunteers. They also created a website at www.riverfrontislandmasterplan.com.

A final draft of the plan is expected at the end March.

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