Camden residents will vote this summer on allowing the town to enter into a sale agreement with a developer who intends to build a makerspace for entrepreneurs and craftspeople, as well as housing units on the site of a former tannery.
The project was chosen from four proposals the town received last year for the site of the former Apollo Tannery, which the town has owned for nearly two decades. Other proposals included a 30 to 50 unit affordable housing development, a park and a proposal from Habitat for Humanity to build single family homes.
The town and the developer, Cranesport LLC, still need to flush out the details of potential tax incentives and zoning changes the project will require from the inorder for the project to be feasible. But Camden Select Board members voted 3-2 Tuesday night to ask residents at the annual town meeting in June to permit officials to enter into a purchase and sales agreement with the developer.
Authorizing this agreement will allow the town to move forward with discussions and negotiations with the developer, though does not mean the project is set in stone.
“I think we owe it to the public to make a recommendation on a project,” Camden Select Board Chairman Bob Falciani said. “There are still more discussions to follow.”
The town of Camden has been trying to entice developers to the site since it took ownership in 2003 when the Apollo Tannery closed and property owners failed to pay taxes.
Since acquiring the site, the town has spent nearly $1 million dollars to demolish the former tannery and conduct environmental clean-ups there. The vacant site, known informally as Tannery Park, has served as home to the Camden Farmers Market and a portion of the Megunticook River Trail.
Under the latest proposal being considered for the site, Rockland developer Michael Mullins, through Cranesport LLC, is proposing to build $2.5 million “industrial eco-village” that would lease affordable workspace to entrepreneurs and local makers. The proposal also includes the creation of a structure that would serve as the permanent location for the farmers’ market.
After town officials expressed a desire that any development at the tannery site include a housing element, Cranesport amended its proposal to incorporate 10 to 12 apartments on the site as well.
Town officials expressed support of the project since the industrial workplace element is in keeping with the past use of the site. The addition of housing units will also help bolster Camden’s rental market, which is currently sparse.
“I see Cranesport’s proposal as the best fit for the tannery site,” Camden select board member Taylor Ben said.