Preliminary construction work has been completed on the site of a future office and retail complex at Mosher Corner in Gorham.
Developer Susan Duchaine, president of Design Dwellings Inc. of Gorham, said she is in discussions with two possible owners or tenants for the first phase of the complex, called Vista Park Condominiums, which is approved for a drive-up business such as a bank or restaurant.
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Duchaine, who declined to identify the possible tenants, said construction could begin as early as this spring.
“I am cautiously optimistic,” Duchaine said.
The complex is one of several business expansions and housing projects planned in Gorham, where development came to a screeching halt when the recession hit. Last year there were no commercial development projects.
“We are pleased,” said Tom Ellsworth, director of the Gorham Economic Development Corp.
Vista Park Condominiums, at the junction of routes 25 and 237, calls for five 3,000-square foot buildings to be built in stages as tenants or owners are identified, Duchaine said. In recent weeks, workers have been installing culverts, creating entrances and putting in erosion controls, said Duchaine. That work was scheduled to be completed Tuesday.
Another Gorham project currently under way is the expansion of Helical, which makes metal cutting equipment. The company, located at 29 Sanford Drive in the Gorham Industrial Park, is adding 10,000-square feet of space.
“We are getting busier and adding people,” said David McCulloch, president of the 10-year old company. He plans to add five more people to his 25-person staff in the next year.
Marca Coating Technologies, which bought the former Knowlton Corp. at 5 Sanford Drive, is seeking a permit for a 30,000-square foot addition.
Ellsworth said there are also several other potential projects in the pipeline, one of them which he described as substantial, but declined to provide details because the deals are not finalized.
Residential development is also showing signs of life in Gorham.
Duchaine is buying 14 acres, now home to Barrows Greenhouses at 312 Main St., and plans to build 26 single-family houses and five duplexes. She expects to file plans with the Gorham Planning Board in the next few weeks.
The owners of the 106-year-old Barrows Greenhouses, Paul and Donna Allen, said they plan to retire after the spring planting season.
“We would like to enjoy our grandchildren while they are little,” said Donna Allen. Their three children, who live out of state, are not interested in taking over the business.
Duchaine said her residential developments are doing fairly well, including Hawke’s Farm in Gorham, where about a third of the 44 lots have sold in the past year.
Duchaine’s Rosewood Drive subdivision in Raymond has sold two of 13 housing lots that went on the market this winter.
She is also planning a 26-lot housing development off Route 202 in Windham, called Valley Views, which goes before the Windham Planning Board for final approval next month.
Staff Writer Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:
bquimby@pressherald.com
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