Envisioning a New Riverwalk on the Androscoggin
Lewiston’s pre-existing Riverfront Island Master Plan (RIMP, 2010) envisioned the revitalization of the historic mills area on the banks of the Androscoggin River as a destination vibrant with new housing, open space, and commercial uses. The City of Lewiston hired Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio in 2021 to update this master plan and provide more specific urban design recommendations in five areas: New Riverwalk and improved multi-modal downtown connections, redevelopment for Island Point – a former industrial land fronting on the scenic Great Falls, urban infill and redevelopment strategy for vacant and underutilized land, revitalization of the waterfront Simard-Payne Park as a cultural and community destination, and revitalization of the historic canals.
The team studied existing opportunities and challenges to create viable options for the layout of the new Riverwalk, further enhancing links to the downtown with proposed multi-use paths and on-road bike connectivity improvements. For the revitalization of the waterfront park, Halvorson proposed a new community pavilion, destination playground, and footbridges to link to adjacent future residential uses. Halvorson envisioned revealing the potential of the historic canals with a pilot project, featuring a canal-side promenade as well as steps to the water for kayaking or winter skating. A market and regulatory analysis performed by consultants informed the recommendations on desirable land uses for redevelopment area, and included specific suggestions on zoning language revisions that would help encourage desirable uses and development types. The RIMP Update planning process benefited from ongoing collaboration with the City’s team and robust public engagement that included in-person workshops and an interactive web platform.
Services Snapshot
Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio provided master planning services to the City of Lewiston, ME in support of the updated Riverfront Island Master Plan. The scope of work included proposing improvements to Riverfront Island, producing renderings of the proposed improvements, and engaging with the public to keep them informed of progress on the plan. The recommendations included in this plan will help Lewiston plan for phased implementation of a range of projects or initiatives, within the next 10 to 15 years.
