The site of the former Stinson Seafood cannery along the Bath waterfront. (Courtesy of Sam Lambert, KW Commercial Real Estate of Brunswick)
Once a Texas Steamship Company shipyard, then a sardine cannery and now an empty lot left vacant after a 2006 fire, 5.6 acres of Bath’s waterfront on 65 Bowery St. have become the focus of speculation and tension.
What will be developed on the site? Will it allow for public access? Will luxury developments block residents’ view and access of the Kennebec River? Residents asked these questions of developers and the City Council at a council meeting last week.
The short answer is: We don’t know — yet.
The City Council last Wednesday unanimously backed land use code changes that will allow for mixed-use development at the former Stinson Seafood cannery site, specifying that new buildings can reach up to 65 feet, or 45 feet above Bowery Street.
Neighbors of the former cannery said they are concerned that changes to the land use code create an opportunity for unfettered development at the waterfront property. Developers say the changes are necessary to help them transform a historically blighted and ignored property.
The height allowance, in particular, raised concerns among several residents at the July 1 meeting. The new rules would allow for condominiums or other large-scale projects that could change the character of the waterfront.
“Having an allowance for a 45-foot structure on Bowery Street will completely change the scope and scale of that neighborhood,” said Bowery Street resident Michael Tisack.
The Cannery Group, a Bath-based developer, bought the long-vacant property from Dirigo Holdings for $1.02 million in 2023.
The Stinson Seafood Cannery, which was one of the last remaining sardine canneries in the country, shut down in 2005 and was destroyed by arson a year later.
What remains at the site is mostly concrete slabs and overgrowth, City Manager Marc Meyers said last Thursday. This is the first real opportunity to develop the property that the city has had in two decades, he said.
“This is one of the few remaining developable waterfront properties in Bath,” Meyers said.
At their meeting last week, councilors assured residents that loosening zoning regulations is only the first step in a long development process and that any development plans will have to get planning board approval.
“A zoning ordinance is not a plan,” Christopher Marks, councilor for Ward 1, said.
Developers have not submitted any specific plans for the site.
A concept for development at the former Stinson Cannery site in Bath includes a marina and housing. (Courtesy of City of Bath)
The Cannery Group is led by Sean Ireland and Mandy Reynolds, the developers behind the redevelopment of Bath’s historic Grant Building.
The group held public meetings throughout summer and fall in 2024 to gauge residents’ opinions about a potential development. In these meetings, the developers crafted several goals for the property, including pedestrian access and attracting “blue economy” businesses along the waterfront.
Developers presented a rendering of the project to councilors last year, which included a mixture of marine businesses and housing.
“Ultimately, this is a part of Bath’s future,” Reynolds said at last week’s meeting.
The Cannery Group did not respond to requests for comment.
This is the second time that the zoning amendments have come up for consideration , and been approved by, the City Council. Councilors approved the changes for the first time in January but ran into legal issues after determining that abutters were not given proper notice.
