Community Development
Community development and economic development go hand in hand. Our vision is for the Moosehead Lake region to be a vibrant community with a sustainable economy that highlights the region’s character, heritage, and spectacular natural resources.
Revitalizing Downtown Greenville, our Region’s Service Center
Over the last eight years, MLREDC has partnered with the Town of Greenville, local businesses, and organizations to implement business façade improvements, add amenities including benches, flowers, and trash cans, and redevelop two prominent properties on the East Cove waterfront.
In 2019, we purchased and resold commercial property at 35 Pritham Avenue to two local businessmen who redeveloped the site, replacing the 75-year-old former gas station with a new and larger two-story building that tripled the number and variety of businesses downtown.
In June 2020, the MLREDC purchased the open green space property at 3 Lakeview Street and established a public park, named Crafts Landing, with free public docks, beautiful gardens, and benches, picnic tables, and a bike rack. This site offers public access to and from Moosehead Lake into the downtown throughout the year and has become a focal point of Greenville activities, including events around the Town’s Independence Day and Deck the Hall festivities.
Infrastructure development work is vital to our region’s economic success.
Transforming a Popular Greenville Beach into a Park
The Town of Greenville Recreation Department has partnered with the MLREDC over the last three years to help plan and fundraise to transform Greenville’s Red Cross Beach into the Red Cross Beach Park. This transformation will maximize the use of the 6.4-acre recreational area and public swimming beach on the Moosehead Lake shorefront near the Greenville School. The revitalization will add multiple new recreational amenities including an activity center and walking/biking trails, a children’s playground set, picnic pavilion, parking and handicapped parking spaces. Our project partner, Moosehead Outdoor Alliance, will develop and donate a mountain biking skills track at the park. This project will be completed in the summer of 2025 and will provide tremendous recreational and educational opportunities as well as a fun, positive, and relaxing experience for families and children.
Building Workforce Housing
Property prices throughout the Moosehead Lake Region have increased greatly since 2020 making it harder for working families to find homes. MLREDC worked with the Northern Forest Center and the Town of Greenville to develop a five-acre parcel on Spruce Street in the town. Under the direction of the Northern Forest Center, the project will create about two dozen single-family and mixed-family homes at lower price points. Construction should start in the second half of 2025, and the first homes should be available in 2026. Some will be for sale and others for rent, and covenants in the development will aim to ensure the units are occupied by residents rather than being used as vacation rentals.
Housing Project in the News
Installing Wayfinding Signage to Enhance Visitor Experience
MLREDC successfully completed a significant project to design, install, and maintain wayfinding signage throughout the southern half of Moosehead Lake to help residents and visitors explore and enjoy the Moosehead Lake Region and will extend the project to the northern half within the next three years. This project has greatly enhanced the visitor experience.
Free WIFI Downtown!
The MLREDC also maintains a high-speed wi-fi network in downtown Greenville free of charge to visitors using the network.
Subscribe to E-Newsletter
Join the MLREDC e-newsletter for updates (typically 3-4 per year) about events, new businesses, economic development success stories, and opportunities for potential investors in Maine’s renowned Moosehead Lake Region.