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REDAC Meeting - July 18
The Rockland Economic Development Advisory Committee will hold a regular committee meeting on Thursday, July 18, 2013 at 4 p.m. at the Breakwater Marketplace, 91 Camden Street, Rockland in the first floor meeting room.
The agenda will be as follows:
- Minutes from June (5 min.)
- Camden Street Project (25 min.)
- Chamber of Commerce Report (5 min.)
- Community Development Director's Report (20 min.)
- Other Business (10 min.)
- Adjourn
Please note that this is a regular REDAC meeting and is always open to the public. A portion of the meeting will be devoted to the Camden Street work under item 2 above. In particular, we expect to receive a revised design for the Waldo Street intersection and partnering property owner.
As the Camden Street and Commercial Street neighborhood design work progresses over the coming months, we will schedule the dates, times and places of any future meetings as we move forward with this project. Stay tuned!
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Design Locations Selected
Several Property owners in Rockland and Rockport have requested to be included in the design study for this neighborhood. The following properties were selected after request by the property owner.
Design Work: Properties and the Adjacent Public Rights-of Way (2 alternative designs for each location)
ROCKLAND:
1. Bar Harbor Bank and Trust, 245 Camden Street
2. Residential Grouping
a) Residential property at 106 Camden Street
b) Residential property at 122 Camden Street
c) Property at 124 Camden Street, (old church)
d) Property at 92 Camden Street
3. The Breakwater Marketplace at 91 Camden Street and adjoining vacant parcel to the north
4. The Samoset Kiosk building and the intersection at Waldo Avenue
5. Intersection of Maverick and Camden Streets - The Public spaces only.
ROCKPORT PROPERTIES and the Adjacent Public Rights of Way - design two with one design option each
- Claddagh Motel, 1044 Commercial Street - multiple buildings on property
- The Willow Bakery, 1084 Commercial Street and Nicole's Hair Salon at 1088 Commercial St.
We welcome the participation of these owners and look forward to our discussions over the coming months.
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WCSH News Coverage
Don Carrigan of WCSH Channel 6 news did a story on the Rockland vision project. You can read his story and view the video here.
Rockland Plans Future of Retail Strip....
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Workshop #7 - DESIGN  Guidance
We had good and engaged attendance at the Design Workshop #7 on May 9. This workshop served to:
- review the public guidance collected to date
- review the technical assistance received to date from workshops # 1 through # 6
- collect more public guidance on preliminary nodes of activity, building form and public spaces and
- review the 4 properties in Rockland and 1 or 2 in Rockport who have volunteered to be included in the Design Study.
A copy of the powerpoint presentation and the results of the key pad polling will be available soon at Rockland's Camden Street Neighborhood Project.
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 Workshop #6 - DESIGN GUIDANCE
Over 30 people attended Workshop #6, which was  designed to give consultant Terrence J DeWan and his team direction for the illustrative redesign of the Camden Street neighborhood. Participants sorted photos from other communities and described the features that they would "not like to see", "okay to see", "great to see" and "amazing to see" in the Camden Street neighborhood from Maverick Street in Rockland to Warrenton Street in Rockport.
Participants also rated Rockland's community values and how they apply to this neighborhood. The number one value was "We desire enhanced walkability, bicycling, and transit in order to promote personal health, safety, enjoyment and convenience." The other 8 values were also rank ordered by participants. See values below.
Over the next few weeks, the designers, Friends of Midcoast Maine and City and Town officials will be talking with up to 4 interested and volunteer property owners in Rockland and 2 in Rockport who are interested in free design services to illustrate redesigns of their properties and demonstrate a higher and better use for their property that fits the community values and vision for this area.
An interim workshop on May 9, 2013 at 6 p.m. will be held to bring the community up to date on past work, receive feedback on early design, and give greater direction to the design team.
A final workshop presenting possible design alternatives will be held in early Summer with a goal to complete a vision for the Camden Street Neighborhood by late summer.
Would you like to get inspired about the possibilities? To view a slide show showing redesigns of other neighborhoods with photo simulations, visit Neighborhood Redesign Case Studies, donated to us by Dan Burden who led workshop #4, the Walk Audit.
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Commercial Corridor Design Study
Eight proposals for design services were received in response to the Request for Proposals sent out earlier in the month. REDAC members, a representative from Rockport and Friends of Midcoast Maine met to score, discuss and select a consultant team to develop illustrative designs for 5 sites and the public right-of-way along the Camden Street neighborhood in Rockland and Rockport. The contract was awarded to the team of Terrence J DeWan, HNTB and C Michael Lewis.
Property owners who wish to work with REDAC, FMM and the consultant to look at development and design options for their property should contact the City Manager James Smith or Community Development Director John Holden or e-mail REDAC@friendsmidcoast.org for consideration.
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Values Statements for Rockland
On February 11, 2013, the Rockland City Council unanimously adopted the Values Statements developed by REDAC and the community over the past six months of public workshops and meetings. These values statements will be used to guide design recommendations referred to above:
1) We value access to the harbor for our recreational, industrial, economic and cultural identity.
2) We recognize the benefit of serving as a strong and diverse economic and cultural center for the region.
3) We celebrate the vitality, historic character and diverse neighborhoods integrated into the downtown.
4) We embrace the hometown qualities of life that contribute to our comfort and safety including city-wide neighborliness, small town feel, feeling connected and part of the community and knowing our neighbors.
5) We appreciate the availability of comprehensive goods and services including commercial, retail, recreational, educational, religious and cultural.
6) We recognize the strong heritage and legacy of public service and volunteerism.
7) We treasure the beauty and natural resources immediately available for all including year round beauty that we provide, protect and enhance.
8) We benefit from our demographic, economic, social and cultural diversity.
9) We desire enhanced walkability, bicycling, and transit in order to promote personal health, safety, enjoyment and convenience.
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REDAC Camden Street Neighborhood Vision Project
The Rockland City Council also adopted the objectives of the Rockland Street Project, as presented below.
Rockland Camden Street Project Objectives
The overall objective of the Camden Street initiative is to uphold the community's stated values while:
1) Changing perceptions of the area
2) Beautifying the area
3) Creating economic opportunity for redevelopment
4) Planning for the long term
5) Evaluating economic viability and feasibility for redevelopment
6) Enhancing the gateways to downtown and the City of Rockland
7) Enhancing real estate values to support the city services provided
8) Diluting highway focus without diminishing capacity by building a civilized street that enriches the experiences of all users of the corridor including pedestrians, vehicles, bicycles and transit
9) Reinforcing mixed use including residential, commercial and recreational uses
10) Enhancing all networks including wildlife, stormwater, transit, and pedestrian linkages, etc.
11) Planning for future generations
12) Increasing opportunities for the City, the property owners and the residents
13) Providing incentives to make things happen
14) Funding implementation by proposing phasing as well as funding sources and mechanisms, including public, private and public-private partnerships.
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 Workshop #5 with
Lynne Seeley, consultant to GrowSmart Maine
On Thursday, January 31 at 5 p.m., Lynne Seeley of GrowSmart Maine presented research, re-design and analysis of two highway commercial sites in Augusta and Belfast. This was followed by examples from Standish, Falmouth and Yarmouth as well as other communities that are looking at developing a vision and development plan for these areas of each community. REDAC and community members engaged in a lively conversation about these studies and there applicability to Rockland
To obtain a copy of the presentations or handouts, contact redac@friendsmidcoast.org..
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Workshop #4
Walkability Audit Report
On Monday, October 29, fifteen or so community members braved Hurricane Sandy's winds and joined Dan Burden from the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, Jane Lafleur from Friends of Midcoast Maine and Rockland Economic Development Advisory Committee members in a workshop to look at ways to make the Camden Street Neighborhood in Rockland more walkable. Dan Burden is a renowned expert on walkability and has helped 3,500 communities nationwide to make communities more walk able and livable.
The Walkability Audit final report is now available at Rockland Walkability Audit. REDAC and community members will be taking this information into consideration as they jointly develop a community vision for the Camden Street Neighborhood of the City.
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Workshop #3 Recap
"The Smart Math of Mixed Use Development" 
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 Workshop #2 Recap Identifying Rockland's Community Values On September 27, almost 50 people attended a workshop to identify Rockland's Community Values as the first step toward developing a common vision for the Camden Street Neighborhood and surrounding areas. Community members identified features in Rockland that they personally love about Rockland and those places and features that the community as a whole values. Over the coming weeks, REDAC members will turn these ideas into value statements that can be tested with the whole community. By using values based planning, community agreement on commonly held values will lead to a stronger plan for the community. Read workshop summary here. Values statements coming soon! |
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Camden Street Vision Project Funding
This project has been funded by numerous grants and support to the Friends of Midcoast Maine from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, the Maine Community Foundation, the Maine Environmental Funders Network and the Orton Family Foundation. The town of Rockport is contributing toward the design study in the Rockport study area. In-kind assistance from the City of Rockland and the volunteer services of the Rockland Economic Development Advisory Committee (REDAC) also contribute to this six to twelve month project.
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Please forward this information to your friends, neighbors and colleagues who may be interested discussions about Rockland's Camden Street neighborhood and its future.
Sincerely,
The Rockland Economic Development Advisory Committee and
Friends of Midcoast Maine, Project Partners
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REDAC
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
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Joanne Billington, Chair
George Terrien
John Jeffers
Tina Plummer
Warren Bodine
Pinny Beebe-Center
Steve Roberts
Lorain Francis, Rockland Main Street Program
Robin McIntosh, Penobscot Bay Chamber of Commerce
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James Smith,
Rockland City Manager/Economic Development Director
John Holden,
Community Development Director
In Partnership with
Friends of Midcoast Maine, Jane Lafleur, Executive Director
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