BIDDEFORD — Construction of Biddeford’s new parking garage is becoming more visible.

Last week, crews began laying the pre-cast concrete structures that will form the parking garage, said Biddeford Communications Coordinator Danica Lamontagne.

Treadwell Franklin Infrastructure Capital and James W. Sewall Company (together called Biddeford RiverWalk Community 1, LLC), Amber Infrastructure Group, PC Construction and the city of Biddeford broke ground on the 640-space, $22 million parking garage on city-owned property at the former Maine Energy Recovery Company site at 3 Lincoln St. on Aug. 11.

Mayor Alan Casavant said the garage is expected to open by late summer.

“It is on schedule,” said Casavant of the parking garage project on Monday. “The timeframe is somewhere late July through mid-September. It is really moving along quickly.”

The garage is designed to relieve existing and future parking pressures on Biddeford’s downtown as mill redevelopment continues, and is another signal of the city’s continued resurgence, city officials said.

“I am very excited, as it is another piece, a big piece, in the downtown and mill district puzzle,” said Casavant.

The Biddeford City Council in September 2019 directed City Manager James Bennett to enter into an agreement with Biddeford RiverWalk Community 1, LLC to develop and manage the new parking garage and nearby surface parking lots, and to complete the RiverWalk project. TFIC joined with Amber Infrastructure Group for execution of the development projects.

The city’s agreement with its partners allows construction to be completed without using residential property tax dollars and with no impact on Biddeford’s tax rate, city officials said. The city will contribute to the project through annual payments from Tax Increment Financing revenues and fees collected from the operation of the parking garage and downtown surface lots. Money in the TIF fund comes from sheltered property tax payments from businesses and developments in the Mill District.

The agreement includes a 26-year lease of the newly constructed parking garage to Amber Infrastructure Group.

PC Construction started construction of the project in August, soon after the groundbreaking. When completed, Premium Parking will operate the garage, city officials said.

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