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Downtown Waterville Revitalization - Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners

Downtown Waterville Revitalization

Waterville, ME
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Colby Downtown And Campus 8.22.23 6 LORES
Colby College
Client
Colby College
Size
55 acres
Construction Cost
N/A
A historic partnership between Colby College and the City of Waterville has resulted in a revitalization plan that is transforming Downtown Waterville with economic development, cultural programs, and new public spaces.

The City of Waterville, Maine is experiencing a dramatic transformation. Historically a regional crossroads and thriving industrial city, Waterville faced economic challenges with changes in industry and manufacturing. Working with the City and Colby College, BBB facilitated an inclusive visioning process that engaged the community in a revitalization plan for Downtown. Building on Waterville’s historic architecture, local businesses, and anchor institutions, the plan has created a framework to guide a wide range of projects and initiatives.

Downtown Waterville Revitalization: 2532 Waterville 20161021Overall Plan02 vertical
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Waterville 1stFriday Sept2025 Event01
Courtesy of Outreach of Waterville Creates, John Meader
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: BBB, Waterville, Maine, September 5, 2025
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: BBB, Waterville, Maine, May 29, 2025

Strategic projects funded by Colby College and the Harold Alfond Foundation are leveraging additional private investment throughout Downtown. Colby development includes a mixed-use building with student apartments and retail, a Main Street hotel, and the renovation of a historic office building. With a new cultural arts center, an expanded farmers market, and improved public open spaces, the revitalization effort is restoring Waterville’s role as a regional destination and a hub for Mid-Maine economic development.

Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Waterville SS 20200304Axon Diagram01 V2
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Waterville Ext16 Copy
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Waterville PLP Ext02
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Triptych Artwalk
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Waterville Ext15 copy
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Waterville Riverwalk Mitchell and Associates
Courtesy of Mitchell and Associates
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: 2532 20150608 NK Downtown Bldgs 020 Downtown Waterville Revitalization: BBB, Waterville, Maine, September 5, 2025

Read more about the project in the Boston Globe article “Maine city teams with Colby to revitalize a college town.”

Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Triptych Appelton
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Waterville Ext17 Copy
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: BBB, Waterville, Maine, September 5, 2025
Downtown Waterville Revitalization: Waterville BirdsEye02

Project Credits

BBB Partner-in-Charge
Neil P. Kittredge
BBB Team
Rayna Huber Erlich
Kitty Tsui
Landscape Architecture
Mitchell & Associates
Real Estate
Sirefman Ventures, Inc.
Transportation
BFJ Planning
Photography
Lisa Abitbol
Séan Harris

Awards & Press

Central Maine
Waterville to welcome scores of apartments starting in 2025
Marketplace
Revisiting a revitalized Waterville, Maine
Down East
What Does a Reinvigorated Downtown Mean for Waterville?
Inside Higher Ed
Building Trust and Community’ Between a College and a Town
Boston Globe
Maine college invests in once-struggling mill town, hoping rising tide will lift both
New York Times
Colleges Invest So ‘What’s the Town Like?’ Gets an Upbeat Answer
Central Maine
Waterville’s Castonguay Square redesign concept to include walkways, gardens, plaza, green space
Boston Globe
Maine city teams with Colby to revitalize a college town