Lewiston Initiates Community 

Investment with Bates Mill 

Redevelopment 

Lewiston, Maine 

continued �

In Lewiston, Maine, redevelopment of a former mill site has 

transformed a vital section of the city's neglected downtown area into a 

multi-use business park where history has been preserved and investment 

stimulated. 

redevelopment of the site, where initial reuse has already created more 

than 1,200 jobs and $500,000 in annual property taxes. 

The Bates Mill was once the largest employer in Maine, with activity 

dating back to the mid-1850s. 

buildings totaling approximately 1.2 million square feet on a 10-acre 

parcel. 

downtown Lewiston, as most of its workers lived and shopped within 

walking distance of the mill. 

declined in the northeast, investment left the area. 

rates eventually rose to nearly 50 percent and unemployment rates to 16 

percent. 

abandoned mill site in 1992. 

The Lewiston Mill Redevelopment Corporation is a public-private 

partnership that was created to determine the best ways to bring 

investment back to the area. 

strategic plan with the help of a variety of stakeholders, including 

economic development officials, developers, and the local chamber of 

commerce. 

provided direction for all planning. 

A Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot grant awarded by EPA 

in 1998 funded detailed assessments of the Bates Mill site, revealing 

metals, PCBs, volatile organic compounds, and mixed petroleum 

products. 

contamination levels to warrant a $386,770 cleanup through EPA's 

Emergency Response and Removal program. 

additional $300,000 to Lewiston for further assessment at the Bates Mill 

site and nearby properties; EPA also awarded Lewiston a $500,000 

Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) Pilot in 2000. 

BCRLF Pilot's first loan, issued in March 2003, was a $150,000 loan to 

the Lewiston Mills Redevelopment Corporation that will be used for 

further mill cleanup. 

EPA's nearly $1.4 million investment in the site has spurred interest from 

a variety of other federal, local, and private stakeholders and has resulted 

The city has leveraged nearly $40 million for cleanup and 

The enormous textile mill encompassed 11 

The site served as both the geographic and cultural center of 

As the once-booming textile industry 

The area's poverty 

After 30 years of steady decline, the city acquired the 

The group began by creating a city-wide 

The city's vision and goals were finalized in 1997, and have 

A portion of the site was found to have high-enough 

EPA awarded an 

The 

Demolition underway on the Bates Mill site 

JUST THE FACTS:
 • A Brownfields Assessment Demonstration 

Pilot grant awarded by EPA in 1998 funded 

detailed assessments of the Bates Mill site, 

revealing metals, PCBs, and volatile organic 

compounds. 

• EPAawarded an additional $300,000 to 

Lewiston for further assessment at the 

Bates Mill site and nearby properties; EPA 

also awarded Lewiston a $500,000 

Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund 

(BCRLF) Pilot in 2000. 

• The city has leveraged nearly $40 million for 

cleanup and redevelopment of the site, 

where initial reuse has already created more 

than 1,200 jobs and $500,000 in annual 

property taxes. 

Lewiston's Bates Mill 

was once the largest employer in Maine, 

with activity dating back to the mid-1850s. 

enormous textile mill encompassed 11 buildings 

totaling approximately 1.2 million square feet on 

a 10-acre parcel. 

geographic and cultural center of downtown 

Lewiston, as most of its workers lived and 

shopped within walking distance. 

booming textile industry declined in the 

northeast, investment left the area. 

years of steady decline, the city acquired the 

abandoned mill site in 1992. 

The 

The site served as both the 

As the onceAfter 30 
CONTACTS: 

For more information contact 

U.S. EPA-REGION 1 

(617) 918-1424 

Visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: 

http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ 

A view of the redeveloped 

Bates Mill plaza 

in additional funding for the project, including: more than $5.6 million from the U.S. Department of 

Housing and Urban Development; $1.8 million from the Economic Development 

Administration; $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and $17 

million in private investment. 

million which includes reallocated money from the sale of three mill 

buildings. 

clean up and redevelop the historic Bates Mill Site. 

The majority of the Bates Mill site is ready for reuse, providing prime 

office and light industrial space. 

buildings preserve the historical setting with large windows, exposed 

beams, and brick exteriors. 

into a parking lot, and another was redeveloped into a small park that 

offers an outdoor gathering space in the center of the complex. 

A variety of businesses have already occupied space at the new business 

park, providing 1,200 jobs for local residents. Tenants include large corporate 

offices like BankNorth-Peoples Heritage Bank Operations Center and LiveBridge 

telecommunications, service oriented non-profits such as the Abused Women's 

Advocacy Project, education centers like the Creative Photographic Arts Center, small offices, retail 

spaces, and a restaurant. A strong marketing campaign has been initiated to target financial, 

insurance, high-tech, and light manufacturing companies for siting at the business park. 

Future plans for the Bates Mill site include expanding arts and entertainment venues along the 

adjacent canal, and increasing greenspace by creating pedestrian paths to the nearby 

Androscoggin River and local Railroad Park. 

$75,000 EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment grant in 1999 that led to its cleanup and 

redevelopment into recreational space. 

additional amenities will be added such as a food court, dry cleaner, day-care, and 

health center. 

vacant, redevelopment into a convention center is planned. 

Redevelopment of the Bates Mill site has initiated revitalization throughout the 

community. 

area but also suffered through economic decline, has begun to follow a similar multi-use 

redevelopment plan. 

sites where there are a variety of planned reuses, including residences, parking, and 

greenspace. 

create unique office space and a community setting worth relocating to. 

strategic planning process, Lewiston exemplifies how smart planning can alter a city's 

image, increase investment and jobs, preserve history, and protect the environment. 

A view of the redeveloped 

Bates Mill complex 

Lewiston's local government contributed $13.6 

In total, the City of Lewiston has leveraged nearly $40 million to 

The interiors and exteriors of the 

One of the mill buildings was redeveloped 

The Railroad Park site was addressed by a 

As more tenants locate within the complex, 

While the largest of the mill buildings (300,000 square feet) remains 

Adjacent Lisbon Street, which once served as Lewiston's main shopping 

The initial stages of cleanup have begun at other local brownfield 

The City of Lewiston realized that to bring investment to the area it had to 

Through its 

Brownfields Success Story Solid Waste EPA 500-F-00-254 

Lewiston, Maine and Emergency March, 2004 

Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/