LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE
& PLANNING
NEW AUBURN
VILLAGE CENTER
Nestled along the Little Androscoggin River in Auburn, Maine, a revitalization strategy is enhancing flood resilience while introducing a dynamic new riverside park. A scenic multi-use trail meanders alongside the river, connecting key crossing points with a riverfront amphitheater, historic bell towers, and hillside seating areas.
LOCATION
New Auburn, Maine
DATE
Completed 2021
TEAM
Coplon Associates
VHB Engineering
New Auburn Village Center is the result of a collaborative effort between VHB Engineering, the Auburn Town Council, and the residents of New Auburn Village. The goal of the project was to develop a phased strategy to revitalize a challenging area of the town, hindered by flooding risks, complex circulation patterns, and fragmented public open spaces. The design approach focuses on phased demolition and development to introduce flood protection, create new public spaces, and establish an accessible multi-use trail along the Little Androscoggin River, all while paving the way for commercial and residential development in previously undevelopable areas.
Demolition of existing buildings made way for staging and material storage areas, which were then used to build new infrastructure, including a road, parking spaces, sidewalks, a tree-lined promenade, and a multi-use trail along the river. A newly designed amphitheater, facing the river, serves a dual purpose acting as a flood control feature by elevating previously undeveloped land above the floodplain while revegetating large areas of riprap along the riparian zone. By rerouting an existing roadway and orienting the site toward the river, several acres of land—once considered undevelopable—are now prime real estate for new commercial and residential development, all while maintaining access to the river.
The project is currently in phase 3 of 5, with future phases set to introduce new commercial and residential spaces, creating an exciting new neighborhood along the Androscoggin River.
