Reveler Development is proud to share that The Levee has won a 2025 Maine Smart Growth Award. At the GrowSmart Maine Summit in October, The Levee was named a winner alongside two other projects and one plan from across the state.
“These recipients stood out in an incredibly competitive pool of nominations,” said Nancy Smith, CEO of GrowSmart Maine. “This underscores the abundance of plans, projects, policies, and practitioners around Maine that have centered smart growth outcomes as a guiding star.”
“It’s an honor for The Levee to receive this recognition,” said John Laliberte, CEO of Reveler Development. “The Levee was a bold project; we set out to revitalize a historic Biddeford site and reignite a community that is now flourishing again. We appreciate our partners who have made this project possible, as well as the tremendous support we’ve received from the City of Biddeford.”
The Maine Smart Growth Awards celebrate the people, projects, plans, and policies that use smart growth principles to transform land use. Will this project or plan make a difference in people’s lives? Is an existing space transformed to create a “third place” for people to gather outside of home and work? Are we creating communities where people feel safe, feel they belong, and can thrive?
In its video about this year’s winners, GrowSmart Maine describes the unique success of The Levee: “On the banks of the Saco River in Biddeford, a once-forgotten industrial peninsula has been transformed into a thriving destination. This is The Levee—a bold redevelopment that reimagines historic mill buildings and underutilized land into a vibrant, mixed-use space.
Led by Reveler Development, The Levee blends housing, dining, retail, and cultural spaces into one cohesive neighborhood. Lofts on the Levee converted the historic Saco-Lowell Mill into 96 modern apartments, while The Foundry—a former warehouse—has been reborn as a riverside hub for arts, culture, and entrepreneurship. With support from the EPA’s Brownfields program, contaminated sites were cleaned and restored, turning challenges into opportunities.
This project reflects smart growth in action: compact design, adaptive reuse, and walkable connections to Biddeford’s RiverWalk, downtown, and the Saco Transportation Center, Amtrak, and local transit. The Levee provides a mix of market-rate and workforce housing, easing pressure on surrounding open space and reducing sprawl. With condos, townhomes, and apartments, it offers diverse housing options for a wide range of residents.”
Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman praised the community that is flourishing at The Levee. “When I walk down to The Levee now, I see families, young people, and small businesses bringing life back to a place that was overlooked and forgotten for so long,” he said. “That’s what revitalization really means—it’s not just construction, it’s community. I’m grateful for the partnership that made this transformation possible and look forward to future opportunities to work with the Reveler team.”
Learn more about The Levee at www.theleveebiddeford.com.
