Tipping Point Small Business Development can open doors for new Augusta businesses

Want to start a bakery? A cocktail lounge? A sporting goods store? The sky’s the limit! Here in Downtown Augusta we have the retail spaces and the financial incentives to help any new or existing business get their feet wet.

Our Tipping Point Small Business Development Program is the ONLY program in the Kennebec Valley to offer 0% interest on small business loans up to $50,000 or one-third of construction costs.

If you want to be a part of all the exciting things happening in Downtown Augusta, email augustadowntownalliance@gmail.com or call 458-8757 for more information.

New apartments coming to Water Street

Developers of a historic four- building block space on Water Street are planning to add 23 units, along with amenities that will include an office co-working space, a gym, a restaurant and retail space.

Previously used for offices, the 43,000 square-foot space will house apartments ranging from mid-market rate to high-end, and will be the largest residential construction to occur downtown since the completion of the lofts at the old Ferrell’s building at 283 Water St.

“We believe there should be an opportunity for everybody to live in a good place,” said Andrew LeBlanc, a managing partner of Mastview Development which is overseeing the project.

If all is approved, construction is planning to break ground this summer and the building will be ready for occupancy by April 2019.

Major changes happening at Colonial Theater

You may have noticed a flurry of activity recently at the Colonial Theater, but did you know that this activity is the first step to a major change?

Beginning in March, construction crews began the process of abatement by removing the last bit of asbestos from the grounds of the theater. Gary Peachey, head of the Building Committee for Augusta Colonial Theater noted that asbestos had long mixed with debris and dust on old tanks and on metal items beneath the main floor, hindering efforts to repair and resurface the gaping hole near the stage.

Now, however, with the abatement process begun, the theater can once again resume construction and make the substantial repairs necessary to the sub-floor, a significant change that will forever alter the look of the theater and signify yet another step towards full revitalization.