The site on Corea Road sits on the edge of the Schoodic Peninsula, adjacent to Acadia National Park — a former Navy communications station with 65,000+ square feet of existing structures, three-phase power on site, and deeded seawater easements. It is not a conventional residential site, and we're not marketing it as one. For a developer thinking about a working-waterfront community model, the site has pieces most coastal Maine parcels don't come with already assembled: permitted water access, existing building stock, and proximity to one of the most visited national parks in the country.
A small number of U.S. residential developers have built intentional communities around a working farm — a model known as an agrihood. The Urban Land Institute has documented projects of this kind nationally, ranging from a handful of conservation parcels to master-planned communities of several thousand homes. Winter Harbor could support a coastal variant of this model: rather than a land farm, the agricultural anchor would be the ocean itself — shellfish cultivation, seaweed and kelp farming, and marine ecology programming, supported by the site's deeded easements and active state and federal aquaculture permits.
Building 85 (~20,000 SF) and the Lot 4 building (~45,000 SF) could be reimagined as a community center, farm operations hub, or shared amenity space, with residential units on the remaining acreage. A development of 20 to 40 units — conservation-oriented and priced for buyers seeking a coastal retreat — would fit both the land and the surrounding market.
65,000+ SF of adaptable existing building stock and three-phase power already on site. Two deeded utility easements to the ocean. A 1 MW solar array is designed and engineered for the property — quoted at $3,000,000 installed plus an estimated $250,000 for interconnection — though it has not been built. See the Power & Solar page for the full ROI case.
Palom's own experience with the Town of Gouldsboro is worth describing honestly. An initial community meeting was shaped by real unfamiliarity with RAS technology and by concerns carried over from problems documented at other aquaculture projects in the region. Ahead of a second meeting, Palom mailed postcards to residents inviting them to an introductory conversation. Reception shifted meaningfully by the end of that second meeting. This is our own experience, not a guarantee of how a future residential or mixed-use proposal would be received — but it shows that direct, early outreach works in this community.
This is a concept with real precedent nationally and genuine physical assets on the ground here — not a pre-approved plan. A developer considering this path would need to evaluate: municipal zoning flexibility in Gouldsboro, the transferability of existing aquaculture permits to a community-operated model, infrastructure requirements (water, septic, road access), and the residential market for a small-scale coastal community in Downeast Maine. None of these questions are pre-answered. The site is offered as-is, with the assets described.
© 2026 Palom Aquaculture LLC. All buildings require major renovation including roof replacement. Seawater infrastructure and the solar array are both designed but not yet constructed. Aquaculture permits convey with the property; their transferability to a residential or mixed-use model has not been tested. Information provided for informational purposes only; does not constitute an offering or solicitation.