In September 2005, as part of the Department of Defense 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, the decision was made to close the Naval Air Station Brunswick (NAS Brunswick). The Navy ceased operations and disestablished NAS Brunswick on May 31, 2011.

Upon learning of the BRAC Commission’s final decision to close NAS Brunswick, it was my observation that there was significant public trepidation about the impending action. The local communities and state were devastated with the loss of this significant regional and state economic driver. Clearly, the citizens of Brunswick, Topsham and the other surrounding communities were very concerned about the social and economic impacts of the base closure, but hopeful that the future would hold new promise.

At the time of the BRAC decision, NAS Brunswick was Maine’s second largest employer, employing 4,863 military and civilian personnel. NAS Brunswick provided over $187 million annually to the local economy in payroll, contracts and purchases. A 2007 study by the Maine State Planning Office predicted that the closure of NAS Brunswick would result in the following direct and indirect economic and social impacts:

• The Brunswick LMA was expected to see the loss of upwards of 6,500 jobs and $140 million of annual income by 2011.

• Maine’s Gross State Product was predicted to be reduced by nearly $400 million annually.

• Area employers were predicted to lose approximately 500 military spouses as their employees.

• Approximately 2,300 housing units would be entering the marketplace, which would contribute to an increase in the regional vacancy rate to about 10 percent.

• The Brunswick area would see a loss of approximately $14 million in rent and mortgage payments.

• Local public schools would lose 10 percent of their students and nearly $1.3 million in federal school aid.

Soon after the closure decision was made in 2005, the State of Maine and the Town of Brunswick established the Brunswick Local Redevelopment Authority (BLRA) to begin the process of hiring staff to prepare the Reuse Master Plan for the 3,320 acre main base, and the Town of Topsham established the Topsham Local Redevelopment Authority (TLRA) to prepare the Reuse Master Plan for the 74 acre Annex in the adjacent Town of Topsham. The BLRA hired me lead to the Brunswick effort. The Town of Topsham slated their Town Planner (now Town Manager), Richard Roedner, to lead their effort.

Both the BLRA and TLRA hired the same planning consulting teams to assist with their respective planning efforts, headed by the Matrix Design Group, based in Denver, Colorado. In addition, the State formed an Advisory Committee to address regional “outside the gate” matters focusing on such issues as transportation, housing and economic development.

The development of the Reuse Master Plans for the NAS Brunswick properties was substantive and involved significant public participation. Over an 18 month period from April 2006 through November 2007, the reuse planning processes involved substantial asset mapping, natural resource inventories, infrastructure assessments, economic analysis and forecasting, an airport feasibility study, land use planning studies, and the development and execution of a robust and thorough public outreach and participation process. The substantial region-wide public effort that was involved in the development of these plans set the stage for the success of the redevelopment effort to date.

In 2007, the Maine Legislature established the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) to implement the Reuse Master Plans at both the Brunswick and Topsham locations. Both the BLRA and TLRA ceased activities in December 2007 and MRRA began operations on January 1, 2008. MRRA was established by the State Legislature as a public municipal corporation and instrumentality of the State. MRRA’s statutory mission is to implement the Reuse Master Plans for Brunswick and Topsham; manage the transition of the base properties from military to civilian uses; and create high quality jobs for the region and state.

While the base closure five years ago certainly had a profound impact on the towns of Brunswick and Topsham, the Mid-Coast region and the State of Maine, both economically and socially, the recovery has been comparatively quite rapid and is becoming a source of pride for all. So where have we come in just five years? It’s interesting to compare the then and now.

Then (May 2011):

• The unemployment rate for the Brunswick LMA was 7.1 percent in 2010.

• Brunswick’s population dipped to a low of 20,278 in 2010.

• In May 2011, there were over 240 vacant buildings, comprising nearly 2 million square feet at the two properties in Brunswick and Topsham. MRRA did have two business leases in place on the airport, which it actually owned in April 2011.

• In May of 2011, there were 650 vacant Navy family homes in Brunswick and Topsham.

• In 2011, NAS Brunswick provided no property taxes to the local communities, but did provide service fees related to the community’s support of the Navy housing. Area schools also did receive federal aid for Navy related students.

• In 2011, one property owner, the U.S. Navy, controlled all of the land.

Now (June 2016):

• Brunswick Landing and the Topsham Commerce Park boast over 92 different business entities (public and private), many of which are in our targeted technology sectors of aerospace, biotechnology, composites/advanced materials, information technologies, renewable energy and education. These entities collectively employ almost 1,000 people, with another 800 planned to be added this year. Nearly 30 of these entities never existed in Maine before.

• A small business incubator (TechPlace) occupies the former Navy aviation maintenance facility and is home to nearly 30 early stage technology businesses.

• A college campus, with nearly 900 students, occupies former Navy admin and medical buildings, supporting the workforce growth needs of local businesses.

• A growing general aviation airport, Brunswick Executive Airport, with over 15,000 annual operations, is making good use of the world class aviation complex left by the Navy and is providing vital air transportation services to the region and State.

• The former Navy family housing units are fully occupied, with nearly 200 already sold to private families.

• The collective real estate property taxes that are generated from the redevelopment will exceed $3 million this year, with a new valuation of over $80 million.

• The private sector has invested over $175 million at Brunswick Landing and the Topsham Commerce Park to repurpose existing buildings and construct new buildings.

• Over 360 acres and 43 buildings at Brunswick Landing and the Topsham Commerce Park properties have been sold to the private sector and there are now 21 different property owners at the former base.

• And, the unemployment rate in the Brunswick LMA is now 3.5 percent.

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While we still have a very long road to go to claim victory, on a comparative basis with other bases closed in the same time period, the NAS Brunswick redevelopment effort is doing quite well indeed. None of our 2011 contemporaries have achieved the scale of redevelopment as rapidly as we have experienced. I believe that a big part of this success to date is due in large part to the partnerships that have been forged with and the strong support we’ve had from the towns of Brunswick and Topsham, the State of Maine, the Navy, and the various federal agencies. Both our state and federal delegation members have been steadfast champions of the effort with their respective legislative bodies.

We are truly “living the dream” that was so well established in the vision of those Reuse Master Plans in the early days. We have executed the solid recommendations that were developed by a very engaged public; the principles of which are still as relevant today as they were in 2007. While a few minor tweaks to the plans have been made over the years, we have avoided the major directional changes and related time losses that have plagued so many of our contemporaries. I believe that all these key ingredients will continue to be critically important to the ongoing and sustainable success of the redevelopment of NAS Brunswick and making it the great new place we all envisioned.

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Steven H. Levesque is the executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority. The authority’s mission is to MRRA’s mission is to implement the Reuse Master Plans for Naval Air Station Brunswick and the Topsham Annex, manage the transition of base properties from military to civilian uses, redevelop base properties, and create new high-quality jobs for Maine. Go to MRRA.us for more information.

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