MEREDA – Blog

l. to r., Drew Sigfridson, MEREDA President, Peter Connell, Ocean Properties, Ltd., Amy Cullen, The Szanton Company, Bill Bola, University of New England, Debora Keller, Avesta Housing, Matt Peters, Avesta Housing, Shelly R. Clark, MEREDA Business & Operations Manager.

PORTLAND, Maine– Drew Sigfridson, president of the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA), the state’s leading organization for commercial real estate professionals, has announced the 2013 recipients of awards presented at MEREDA’s Annual Real Estate Spring Conference on May 22nd.

Annually, MEREDA recognizes the most noteworthy and significant Maine commercial development projects from the previous year, all of which embody MEREDA’s belief in responsible development. For 2012, MEREDA’s leadership chose to recognize six notable development  projects that were deemed “noteworthy & significant” by MEREDA’s leadership.

Honorees included:  Ocean Properties, Ltd. for the West Street Hotel in Bar Harbor, Avesta Housing for Oak Street Lofts in Portland, Park Street School in Kennebunk, and Emery School in Biddeford, The Szanton Company for The Lofts at Bates Mill in Lewiston, and the University of New England for the Harold Alfond Forum in Biddeford.

Bar Harbor, Lewiston, Portland, Kennebunk and Biddeford projects to receive awards from Maine Real Estate & Development Association

The Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) will recognize the six most notable 2012 commercial development projects in Maine at its annual spring conference on Wednesday, May 22.

All of the projects being recognized embody MEREDA’s belief in responsible development; each was completed in 2012 and all are fully tenanted. Projects were selected based upon the following additional criteria:

• Environmentally sustainability
• Economic impact
• Energy efficiency
• Social impact
• Job creation

Projects include:

• Bar Harbor: West Street Hotel by Ocean Properties, Ltd.
• Lewiston: The Lofts at Bates Mill by The Szanton Company
• Biddeford: Harold Alfond Forum by the University of New England
• Portland: Oak Street Lofts by Avesta Housing
• Kennebunk: Park Street School by Avesta Housing
• Biddeford: Emery School by Avesta Housing

Representatives from each of the above projects will be at the event to receive an award.

For more information about the conference and to register, visit www.mereda.org.

National expert to be joined by local panel for event entitled “The Retrofitting Movement: Repositioning Underutilized Commercial Real Estate” 

PORTLAND, Maine (May 3, 2013) – The Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) will host a conversation around the cutting-edge concept of retrofitting and creative re-use planning at their annual spring conference, scheduled for May 22 in Portland. MEREDA will welcome to Maine a leading expert on the topic of retrofitting, Ellen Dunham-Jones, and will host a panel of local experts. Additionally, MEREDA will recognize the six most noteworthy and significant Maine commercial development projects from the previous year at the conference.

Dunham-Jones is a leading authority on suburban redevelopment.  She has been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Harvard Design Magazine, Urban Land, Planning, Architectural Record, TEDx and other venues. Co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia, Dunham-Jones will share case studies of underperforming asphalt properties that have been redesigned and redeveloped into vital centers of community. Her presentation will focus on adaptive reuse of vacant buildings, environmental repair, revising zoning codes and public works standards and providing easements for future connectivity and adaptability.

Local experts who will participate on the panel include Sarah Schindler of the University of Maine School of Law, Denis Lachman of Lachman Architects & Planners, Tex Haeuser of the City of South Portland, Vanessa Farr of the Town of Yarmouth and Craig Gorris of The Maine Mall. Each have been involved in the retrofitting movement and will support Dunham-Jones’ presentation by addressing some of the practical challenges and opportunities with respect to retrofitting in Maine communities.

“Retrofitting is one of the important trends in play all around the country and MEREDA is pleased to host this discussion. Ellen is a true expert and it’s a real boon to have her in Maine,” said Drew Sigfridson, MEREDA President. “Attendees will explore how Maine communities, large and small, can reach their architectural, cultural, and economic potential by making best use of scarce community resources to enhance commerce, walkability and community heritage.”

MEREDA will also recognize the six most notable 2012 commercial development projects in Maine, all of which embody MEREDA’s belief in responsible development; projects include:

West Street Hotel in Bar Harbor by Ocean Properties, Ltd.
The Lofts at Bates Mill in Lewiston by The Szanton Company
Harold Alfond Forum in Biddeford by the University of New England
Oak Street Lofts in Portland by Avesta Housing
Park Street School in Kennebunk by Avesta Housing
Emery School in Biddeford by Avesta Housing

Sigfridson notes that MEREDA hosts a spring conference annually, and that while everyone is welcome, the intended audience is real estate developers and their allies, such as attorneys, architects, engineers, bankers, realtors, planners, municipal officials and/or “anyone interested in a creative and useful tool that creates value while enhancing community.”

MEREDA’s “The Retrofitting Movement: Repositioning Underutilized Commercial Real Estate” will take place on Wednesday, May 22 at the Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland from 1 to 5 pm, with a social hour to follow. Admission is $95 and pre-registration is required. MEREDA members are offered a $20 discount and, this year, students and municipal officials and employees are offered free admission with pre-registration.

The conference is sponsored by Blais Civil Engineers, Libby Hill, Mainebiz, Pierce Atwood, EnviroVantage, Building Envelope Specialists, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, SMRT and Sevee & Maher Engineers.

For more information and to register, click here.

Maine’s communities face the daunting dual challenge of a push for energy-conscious development and planning and existing buildings and developments that are abandoned or in decline that thwart or hinder planning and development efforts. Find out how Maine communities, large and small, can reach their architectural, cultural, and economic potential by making best use of scarce community resources to enhance commerce, walkability, and community heritage.  The cutting-edge concept of retrofitting and creative re-use planning is one of the important trends in play all around the country and MEREDA is pleased to host this discussion, and to welcome a leading expert on the topic of retrofitting, Ellen Dunham-Jones.

Dunham-Jones is a leading authority on suburban redevelopment.  She has been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Harvard Design Magazine, Urban Land, Planning, Architectural Record, TEDx and other venues.  Co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia; Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs , Dunham-Jones will share case studies of “underperforming asphalt properties” that have been redesigned and redeveloped into walkable, sustainable vital centers of community. Her presentation will focus on adaptive reuse of vacant buildings, environmental repair, revising zoning codes and public works standards, providing easements for future connectivity and adaptability.

This event will inspire and inform developers and their allies (attorneys, architects, engineers, bankers, realtors, et cetera), planners, students, municipal officials, and/or anyone interested in a creative and useful tool that creates value while enhancing community.

Local experts, Sarah Schindler, Associate Professor of Law, University of Maine School of Law, Denis Lachman, Principal, Lachman Architects & Planners, Tex Haeuser, Planning & Development Director, City of South Portland, Vanessa L. Farr, CNU-A , Planning Director, Town of Yarmouth, and Craig Gorris, Senior General Manager, The Maine Mall, who have been involved in the retrofitting movement, will support this discussion by addressing some of the practical challenges and or opportunities with respect to retrofitting suburban layouts in our Maine communities.

MEREDA will also recognize the Top Notable Projects for 2012 and provide an overview of the “MEREDA Index“, a new metric that will illustrate the statistical changes and measure the pulse of the commercial real estate industry in Maine, including sale and lease activity, construction starts and other data.

The conference will be held on May 22 at the Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland from 1:00-5:00 pm with a social hour from 5:00–6:00 pm.

The conference is sponsored by:  Blais Civil Engineers, Libby Hill, Mainebiz, Pierce Atwood, EnviroVantage, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, SMRT Architects | Engineers,  Building Envelope Specialists, and Sevee & Maher Engineers.

For more information and to register, visit www.mereda.org or download the brochure.

Join the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) on April 25th as John Gallagher, Director of the Maine State Housing Authority shares his vision for MaineHousing and the state’s affordable housing sector, and outlines a couple of the initiatives already under way to change the housing and construction landscapes.

While he’s only been on the job as director of the Maine State Housing Authority for six months, John Gallagher has not wasted any time in ensuring that the agency’s statewide leadership role as a provider of decent, safe, and affordable housing to Maine’s low-income households is a priority. He’s accomplishing that by empowering MaineHousing’s mission-driven staff to take initiative in their efforts to help more people with fewer available funds, and by meeting with partners such as MEREDA’s membership to strategize on solutions to get more individuals and families into affordable housing.

Mr. Gallagher is no stranger to the housing authority sector, having served as executive director of Westbrook Housing Authority for more than 11 years and as development director at MaineHousing prior to that. With larger-scale issues such as sequestration and the economy challenging MaineHousing, Mr. Gallagher’s small-agency experience makes him relatable and approachable to MaineHousing’s partners who are facing the same hurdles.

For more information and to register, visit www.mereda.org.