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Clifton Page is a retired architect and urban designer and planner living in Blue Hill.
Bangor is in a housing crisis. While the city expands economically and is attracting more residents (including younger people and retirees who want a city environment but can no longer afford southern Maine prices), housing (of all types) appears to be one of the biggest problems facing the city today. The answer to this problem may be staring us all in the face: The Bangor Mall and adjacent properties.
As we all have seen as we drive by the Bangor Mall, this area has become a collection of massive, failed properties that seem unlikely to ever again attract the large (and small) retail entities required to survive. The area is one of a growing number of shopping malls across the country that have failed as people move to online shopping. Let’s accept that the area needs a complete rethink.
The good news is that a developer has recently announced plans to turn the former Sears wing into new housing. This could act as a catalyst for the city of Bangor to develop a master plan for the entire area that could direct and organize future development to create a new, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood where people want to live, work and play. This could be a win-win for everyone.
Why not make the areas between Stillwater Avenue and Hogan Road a new, mixed-use, high-density neighborhood with everything residents and workers need within walking distance? This area could offer a wide selection of housing options, retail, offices, schools and everything else that could attract people to live and work there. It is already well served by utilities and city services, which could be easily upgraded as needed.
With the city of Bangor acting as the instigator and partner with the existing and/or new owners, offering tax benefits, multi-use zoning, permitting and master planning, this area could be developed into its full potential, creating new opportunities for residents while becoming an important tax base for the city.
The city of Bangor could appoint a talented urban design/planning team to create a master plan with development guidelines. Architectural competitions could be organized for, at least, the key buildings, which could help put Bangor on the map as a place that “did things right” and is worth visiting and staying.
There are many options for redeveloping this area. In one vision, I see Stillwater Avenue and Hogan Road turned into tree-lined boulevards with parallel, local access side roads, street trees and sidewalks serving mid-rise buildings with retail and offices on the lower floors and upper-level apartments. The existing roads within the mall area could be lined with new buildings set back just enough to allow street parking, street trees and wide sidewalks. These could be townhouses and apartment buildings, some with ground-floor retail and offices. It will be crucial that a mix of housing be provided to welcome residents of all income levels.
The massive unused parking areas could, in part, become green spaces with playing fields, parks and exercise areas overlooked by the surrounding housing and offering quality public outdoor space for the new neighborhood.
The existing mall building might be redeveloped by creating open-air courtyards bringing light and fresh air to the interior areas. New schools serving the surrounding neighborhood could be formed out of the former mall buildings to which the students could safely walk from their new homes. The schools could use the surrounding green spaces for their sports and gym classes.
The back part of the mall could be repurposed into light industrial workshops, which would be well served by existing roads and be in close proximity to I-95 while creating new employment for local residents.
Many other development options can be imagined. But the city of Bangor – with a bit of dreaming, a lot of coordination and the desire to create a modern, high-density, walkable, environmentally up-to-date neighborhood – could replace the current mess between Stillwater and Hogan Road.
