Why was the 3 Lincoln Street site selected for this project?

In 2016, the Downtown Task Force considered 5 locations for a parking garage and recommended 3 Lincoln Street as the best location for the City’s first garage. In addition, Desmond evaluated three locations in a parking study and also recommended this site as the best location.

This space was selected for several reasons:

  • The property is already City-owned.
  • Current parking needs will not be disrupted during construction.
  • A garage in this location is most likely to attract development in the surrounding properties, bringing in new tax dollars.
  • No existing buildings need to be torn down to build the structure.

In addition to the parking garage, the City has entered into an agreement with BE Fitler, LLC to redevelop the 3 Lincoln Street property. The developers have proposed to establish development sites on either side of the space reserved for the proposed parking garage. The developers will seek to incorporate a mixture of residential, retail, office, hospitality, education and service uses with the proposed parking structure, RiverWalk, and riverside park to create an economically vibrant, urban-style mixed use destination. The latest rendering for 3 Lincoln Street is shown below.

3 Lincoln Conceptual Design

Show All Answers

1. What are the highlights of the approved project?
2. How does a parking garage help property taxpayers?
3. How will the garage be paid for? Will residential property tax dollars be used?
4. Will this agreement affect on-street parking?
5. How much will the parking garage cost to build?
6. How were the revenue projections calculated? What happens if the garage doesn't generate as much revenue as expected?
7. What happens if the garage generates more revenue than projected?
8. What will it be like to park in the garage?
9. What happens to the surface lot parking permit program once construction of the garage is complete?
10. Who will handle operations, maintenance and enforcement?
11. Who will pay for management of the garage?
12. How will the Riverwalk expand as part of the project? Why is it included in this project?
13. What happens at the end of the agreement?
14. Who is included in Biddeford RiverWalk Community 1, LLC's project team?
15. Why was the 3 Lincoln Street site selected for this project?
16. Has the downtown area lost any parking spaces due to recent construction projects or streetscape improvements?
17. How will the traffic impacts of a parking garage in this location be addressed?
18. Does the $15,000,000 listed for a parking garage in the TIF agreement determine the amount of money that can be used to fund payments for a parking garage?
19. How did the closure of the Maine Energy Recovery Company impact the City's tax base?
20. What has been the total tax commitment change since the closure of MERC?
21. What does it mean when you say that there is nearly $40 million in new value that will be generated by the garage over time?