By Nate Jones
Staff Writer
Businesses interested in Scarborough’s Gateway Square on the Haigis Parkway are considering “green” as more than just a common color for their rooftops. Monday, New England Expedition, developer of the Gateway – including the new Cabela’s retail store – shared plans to require all buildings developed to apply for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System certifications with the Scarborough Planning Board.
New England Expedition representative Gene Beaudoin said LEED certifications could make the new buildings some of the most energy efficient, self-sustaining and environmentally friendly buildings on the cutting edge of modern architecture. The largest proposed LEED certified building in the development so far is a 90,000 square foot office building that could be the new East Coast headquarters for Fairchild Semiconductor, Beaudoin said.
“It could provide an identity for the whole place,” New England Expedition representative Alan Resnik said. “It’s potentially an opportunity to begin to think about how the development might progress.”
Scarborough Town Manager Ron Owens said although he has not received official notice Fairchild is relocating its headquarters from South Portland, he is hopeful “they are moving forward with this project.”
Fairchild spokesperson Patti Olsen said the company was waiting for final approval of its lease agreement with New England Expedition – which could be done in the next few weeks – to officially announce the move to Scarborough.
“These large companies don’t say what they’re doing until they know exactly what’s going to happen,” Owens said.
Resnik said the proposed three-story building will have a dining room and terrace for employees, an atrium in the middle of the structure and enough windows to allow natural lighting during the daytime.
In addition to the 90,000 square foot office building, Beaudoin said the 8,600 square foot KinderCare building, two 4,000 square foot retail spaces, a 55,000 square foot office building and a hotel that could have up to 200 rooms, will also be LEED certified.
“LEED certification is starting across the country,” he said. “It’s a wave that’s coming.”
The Scarborough Planning Board was so receptive to the “green” concept, Chairman Allen Paul said he would support exempting the structures from town design standards, which he suggested need updating.
“If you had a book of our current design standards, [the 90,000 square foot LEED building] wouldn’t be on our front page,” he said. “Clearly we would not want to restrict what we’re doing because we have some design standards contrary to the proposal.”
The new LEED-focused sketch plan for all the buildings was presented to the planning board less than one week after the Scarborough Town Council amended a credit enhancement agreement with New England Expedition allowing them to collect $8 million through a Tax Increment Finance district (TIF) although they were more than $20 million below the $55 million investment in the development required to receive the funds.
Scarborough Town Assessor Paul Lesperance said the Gateway project was valued at roughly $33.3 million in April.
“We’re going to continue that conversation with them,” Beaudoin said. “With that value and several million invested in site work already, we’re working on what the current valuations are.”
Owens said the $55 million represented up to three-quarters of the estimated cost of the project, and was “an arbitrary threshold” for developers to show they had a firm commitment to the project.
“If they demonstrated they had a substantial start, then they could start collecting,” he said. “Everybody’s satisfied they have done that.”
The council unanimously approved removing the $55 million required investment from the agreement, which will allow New England Expedition to receive $8 million from the TIF over the next 10 years.
“It has been a tough economic year,” Town Council Chairman Jeff Messer said. “Clearly the intent to develop beyond Cabela’s is there.”