PRESQUE ISLE — The Star City could become the mall capital of northern Maine.

Mark Development Co. of Kingston, Pa., has become the second potential mall builder to be identifed here since April 30. A third company, unnamed by officials, was reported to be interested in locating here.

“The interest really indicates there’s a strong reason to believe that a project could actually occur in Presque Isle,” said James Brown, Presque Isle project coordinator of planning and development. “All these companies are convinced that it’s worth investing their money. The Job Opportunity Zone (designation) has not hurt.”

Brown said developers had identified a market in Aroostook County and in New Brunswick with a strong financial and population base to make projects appear viable.

Developers from Kingston, Pa., announced plans this week to build an enclosed shopping mall on U.S. Route 1, similar to a $35.6 million enclosed mall already proposed for off Route 1 by a central New York developer, Oneida Ontario Co. Inc.

Both developers said they planned to construct malls approximately the size of the Bangor Mall.

Mark Development Co. will introduce its proposal to the Presque Isle Planning Board at 4 p.m. Thursday, July 19.

John Emig, development coordinator for Mark Development Co., said Wednesday his company has proposed construction of a 500,000-to-600,000-square-foot mall on a 150-acre lot north of the Aroostook River near the Johnson cemetery.

The property is under a 12-month purchase option with Merle L. Taylor Jr. of Leeds, Mass., Emig said.

John J. Capenos, president of Oneida Ontario Co. Inc. of Clay, N.Y., announced on April 30 plans to construct the Aroostook Centre mall, to measure about 500,000 square feet, on about 50 acres at the intersection of Parsons and Maysville Streets.

The Aroostook Centre would house four major department stores and 70 other retail shops, Oneida officials said.

Emig said Mark Development Co. proposed a mall with three to five anchor stores and from 70 to 80 retail shops. Mark Development, originators of more than 40 shopping centers on the East Coast, primarily Pennsylvania, would be the sole entity developing a proposed mall, Emig said.

Emig, a commercial developer for five years, said his company had spoken with financial institutions and had contacts with lending institutions on the East Coast.

Financial commitments would “come after a lot of other processes,” he said.

Emig said his company would seek to change the proposed mall site from an agricultural farming zone to a business zone. The next step, to coincide with a site location permit from the Department of Environmental Protection, would be the completion of a traffic study.

“Our traffic engineers have already talked with traffic officials at the Maine Department of Transportation and have been coordinating studies with them to go hand-in-hand with the DEP application,” Emig said.

The cost of the Mark Development mall was expected to be more expensive than the Aroostook Centre.

“We would need to extend utility lines and a number of other things,” said Enig. “They (Oneida Ontario) already have zoning approved and utilities on their site.”

Emig said preliminary market studies of the area were favorable, with a market portion from Canada, but a large part of the trade area in Maine. A more thorough in-house market study is expected to be done sometime, according to Emig.

Oneida Ontario research indicated Presque Isle is a suitable location because of the proximity to the Canadian border and the recently enacted Free-Trade agreement between the United States and Canada.

Also listed as a motivator was a proposed change in Maine law that would permit Sunday sales, according to company officials.

Capenos said that the Aroostook Centre’s “anchor” tenants had committed to the project and would announce their decision this fall.

Among the stores mentioned as anchors were J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and Sears, Roebuck and Co., along with Porteous, Mitchell and Braun and K mart.

John Edgecomb, Presque Isle director of planning and development, said five developers had looked at Presque Isle last September, but two of them were not interested.

Edgecomb expressed a doubt that the city would see three malls. “The developers know the level of participation and the risks associated, and are watching to see how the other will fair. I feel there will only be one mall,” he said.