THE MAINE DOWNTOWN COALITION
Steering Committee:
Greg Paxton
MDC Spokesperson
Executive Director
Maine Preservation greg@mainepreservation.org
775-3652
Lock Kiermaier
Advocacy & Outreach Coordinator
GrowSmart Maine lock@growsmartmaine.org
446-0651
Roxanne Eflin
Program Director
Maine Downtown Center
reflin@mdf.org
229-9465
Kevin Bunker
Developers Collaborative
bunker.kevin@gmail.com
772-7673
Lincoln Jeffers
Assistant to the Administrator
City of Lewiston
ljeffers@ci.lewiston.me.us
513-3000, x 3204
Mary Kate Reny
R.H. Reny Inc.
mkreny@renys.com
563-3177
Our Members:
Maine Preservation, Portland
The Maine Downtown Center, Augusta
GrowSmart Maine, Yarmouth
Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Wiscasset
Mattson Development, Hallowell
The Service Center Coalition
Eastport for Pride
The Heart of Biddeford
Waterville Main Street
Gardiner Main Street
Main Street Bath
Skowhegan Main Street
The National Trust for Historic Preservation
Greater Portland Landmarks
Capital Riverfront Improvement Project, Augusta
Friends of Midcoast Maine, Camden
Maine Center for Economic Policy, Augusta
Sealander Studio, Ellsworth
Tom Niemann, Niemann Capital
Paul Boghossian, Hathaway Creative Center
Dana Totman, Avesta Housing
Portland Trails
South Portland Land Trust
Barba + Wheelock
Lewiston/Auburn Economic Growth Council
Denis Lachman, Lachman Architects
Androscoggin Land Trust, Lewiston
Developers Collaborative, Portland
Join us!
Contact us by email or call 699-4330 to join the Coalition.
Houlton's Masonic Building and the Temple Theater
(photo courtesy of
the Temple Theater)
The Maine Downtown Coalition is an alliance of nonprofit organizations, town and city officials, Main Street programs, business people and others dedicated to revitalizing Maine communities and fostering redevelopment of some of our most unique assets: our historic Main Streets and downtown districts.
Main Street, Farmington
We strive to provide resources and tools to help protect and enhance town & city centers, and to reach out to a diverse group of allies including conservationists, businesses, government, and many others.
Whether you live in Maine or you’re a visitor, you know that one of the things that makes this state unique is the proliferation of historic downtown districts, Main Streets, villages, and our small-town character. From Fort Kent to Kittery, these jewels are the centers of economic, cultural and social activity, and the very heart of the community.
The Challenge
Over time, we’ve built up a proliferation of rules and regulations that discourage investment in these special areas, and increasingly people, investment and development are being pushed to surrounding rural and suburban communities.
This presents several challenges for Maine:
- Empty storefronts and vacant Main Street buildings can mean a loss of community vitality and economic activity;
- It costs more to serve a dispersed population because we are forced to build redundant infrastructure and provide services to a larger area. The cost of government in fast growing rural and suburban communities tends to rise as population increases- particularly when a town passes the 2,500-3,500 mark;
- Increased driving from the proliferation of auto-dependent development outside our town centers increases greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change;
- Sprawling development and the loss of community vitality both threaten the quality of this place- our natural landscape and unique livable communities- that are part of our unique competitive advantage: the Maine ‘brand.’
What are we working for?
We are joining forces to help protect and enhance our unique communities across the state. Our goals are:
- Build a broad-based coalition to advocate for Maine’s historic downtowns, Main Streets, village centers and surrounding neighborhoods;
- Remove barriers to successful redevelopment of our downtowns and Main Streets;
- Promote investment in these special places to preserve and enhance the Maine ‘brand;’
- Address emerging threats to the vitality of our towns and cities;
- Educate, advocate and train citizens to incorporate historic preservation tools and techniques into downtown vitality efforts; and,
- Make it easier for people to live, work, go to school, visit, shop, and worship in our town and city centers.
What can you do?
Join us! Please sign on as a supporter of our coalition, add your voice to the growing chorus for the revitalization of Maine’s towns, Main Streets, and cities! Email info@growsmartmaine.org or call 699-4330 to sign on to this effort today. Click here to download a PDF description of the Maine Downtown Coalition.
Additional Resources:
Maine State Planning Office:
Building Code Reform Info
Quality Places Council
Educational Briefs:
Planning for Downtown Development
Supporting Local Businesses
Maine Office of Community Development
Maine Downtown Center
Downtown Research and Development Center
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