The Grandstand could be repurposed into a pavilion area that would sit next to a green space or park-like area in the Town Center, being developed The Downs. Courtesy photo Goody Clancy
Traffic patterns at Scarborough Downs Road could change as the developers may create a green space adjacent to the road. The Downs Development Committee has expressed interest in creating ordinance recommendations to slow traffic down in the area. Courtesy photo Crossroads Holdings
SCARBOROUGH — Discussion from the Scarborough Downtown Development Committee on Aug. 3 revolved around visions for a green space that could be located next to the Grandstand building at The Downs.
The committee spoke in support of recommendations from Goody Clancy, an architect firm hired by Crossroads Holdings, developers of The Downs. In June, the firm had presented a vision for the planned town center, located within The Downs, that could include a green space, retail establishments and a repurposed Grandstand building.
Traffic and size of the green space were the main topics of conversation. Committee members said that they felt creating a green space of about one acre would be appropriate.
Jon Anderson, Town Council representative for the committee, said that an acre could be the right amount of space for pedestrians transitioning to various shops and locations.
The committee discussed the purpose of the green space and how the area could relate to existing spaces in Scarborough, like Memorial Park.
A green space does not have to cram every amenity within it, said committee member Sarah Leighton.
“I think it’s a difference of a green versus a park,” she said. “We can have a playground in another section. We can have a rec field in another section. It’s really just a meeting spot, and does it need to be all these things or really is it just a central green space, a meeting spot, that has some connectivity, and we could close down some streets and it could become something bigger. But we really don’t need another concert outdoor venue if we have a connection to Memorial Park, so maybe it is truly just a green space where there are some benches or some pathways.”
Regarding traffic, Dan Bacon, one of the developers, said that Scarborough Downs Road, the road that would run adjacent to the potential green space, would have to move and change.
“We have to rebuild Scarborough Downs Road and it’s not actually going to be in the same location, much like how it has curved as we worked our way into the project from Route 1,” he said.
The committee will present recommendations to the Scarborough Town Council, as stated in the committee’s charge, and possible amendments to traffic may be part of this.
Committee Chair Travis Kennedy said a goal for the next meeting should be to create ideas for recommendations relating to traffic.
“Functionally, we have two meetings left to try to make some decisions,” he said. “I would like for us to come to our next meeting and build that ordinance recommendation section on a list of questions that we should tick through one at a time and potentially take votes on at our next meeting, which include a recommendation to slow traffic as much as possible along Scarborough Downs Road and the downtown, a recreation to make as cohesive connection to municipal park as possible. We probably want to have a little bit more discussion about what we want to say about the Grandstand.”
To view the Goody Clancy presentation, visit scarboroughmaine.org/government/boards-and-committees/ad-hoc-downtown-development-committee.
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