ROCKLAND, Maine — A large building that housed a plumbing supply store near the city’s downtown waterfront was torn down this week.
The property is in an area where city officials say a developer is interested in creating a retail and office complex.
The home of the Redlon & Johnson plumbing and heating supply store at 65 Tillson Ave. was heavily damaged by fire in June 2014, and the store never reopened. The 6,300-square-foot building was built in 1946.
In May 2015, Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director Audra Caler-Bell said that planned development in the area would consist of light industrial space north of Tillson Avenue with retail stores lining Tillson Avenue. The property where Redlon & Johnson operated its business would consist of retail on the street level and offices on the upper floors.
No development plan has been submitted yet, however.
The city has been trying to redevelop the Tillson Avenue area of Rockland for more than a decade. Located between downtown Main Street and the waterfront, the area is dotted with empty warehouses and vacant lots.
The Redlon & Johnson property is owned by corporations overseen by Finlay B. Matheson of Miami. Other Matheson properties in the proposed development area include the former Bicknell Manufacturing plant at 11 Lime St., an adjacent vacant lot at 8 Lime St., 9 Wharf St. and 14 Wharf St.