City Hall·South Portland spmccc_20260922 - South Portland Mahoney City Center Committee
Mahoney committee backs Developers Collaborative as redevelopment partner
The Mahoney City Center Committee voted to recommend that the City Council select Developers Collaborative as its exclusive partner for redeveloping the Mahoney School building. The recommendation calls for starting under a memorandum of understanding while the developer refines the concept plan, does public engagement, and completes due diligence before any development agreement. The City Council is expected to take up the recommendation at its October 13 meeting.
Key points
- The committee voted to recommend Developers Collaborative, which received the highest score from the public-private partnership subcommittee, over FD Stonewater and Great Falls Construction.
- The recommendation is for an initial memorandum of understanding covering a roughly six-month feasibility phase, not a final development deal.
- Committee members cited the firm's experience with adaptive reuse of historic school buildings, including the Stevens Square project, and its willingness to share financial upside with the city.
- Resident Don Ladd suggested instead selling Mahoney to a private developer and moving city departments to the former Kaler school, citing Brunswick's sale of a school building for $925,000.
- Developers Collaborative partner Drew Sigfordson said the firm has no preconceived plan and would act as a convener, using historic tax credits the city cannot access to lower costs.
- Committee discussion noted the current charge covers the Mahoney building itself, though parking, landscaping, and site questions will likely come up later.
Next steps
- The recommendation goes to the City Council, which is scheduled to consider it on October 13.
- The committee expects to meet regularly for updates during the six-month feasibility phase, with the next meeting tentatively set for the fourth Tuesday in October.
- The committee will revisit its meeting schedule at a future meeting because an anticipated November bond for Mahoney is not happening.
Where this came from
City of South Portland (SPC-TV Vimeo)
The summary and transcript were made by software from the public meeting video, with names checked against the official roster, then reviewed before publishing.
Watch the meeting ↗The summary and transcript were made by software from the public meeting video, with names checked against the official roster, then reviewed before publishing.