BREWER – After major changes were made to the original “concept plans” to redevelop the defunct Eastern Fine Paper Co. site in South Brewer, the city is preparing to ask for a second round of redevelopment proposals.

Unlike the first round of proposals – where any idea was considered – the city is narrowing the scope of the requests to align with what residents asked for during meetings last year.

“This time, we know what we want done with it,” D’arcy Main-Boyington, the city’s economic development director, said Thursday.

Over the next few weeks, city leaders will complete wording for the proposal requests to specify exactly what residents said they wanted to see at the 41-acre Penobscot River location, then will advertise for new proposals.

The second round should include strong retail and residential components, along with restaurant and performance areas, Main-Boyington said.

Office space is another possibility for the redevelopment, but recycling centers and other low-end uses will not be considered, she said.

“I’m going to give preference to rehab versus new construction,” she said. “Reusing whatever is feasible is very important to us.”

The timeline is also important this year, she said. “I haven’t delineated what timelines will work and what won’t, but we want the right thing built quickly.”

Minnesota-based developer Michael Stern was selected by the city as developer last January, but an official developer agreement was never signed, and when his second tentative developer agreement expired in the fall, the city began discussing the project with other developers.

Stern’s initial plan included two types of housing, retail space and restaurants, an open market and other amenities set up to look like an antique downtown. Over the past year, these plans have changed enough to spur the city to consider other proposals, Main-Boyington said.

“Michael Stern is rewriting his proposal,” she said. “I do expect to receive a new proposal from him.”

In order to start developers off on the same footing, the city is planning a group tour of the mill site with all the interested parties, Main-Boyington said.

Specifics about who has approached the city about the Eastern Fine project were not disclosed, but officials have said several people are interested. A big reason for the renewed interest is the amount of work the city has done under South Brewer Redevelopment LLC, which took ownership of the mill property and the job of redeveloping the site after the city acquired it in May 2004, Main-Boyington said.

The city and South Brewer Redevelopment, with help from state and federal partners, have been able to clean up and remove bulk chemicals from the former mill, assess the other environmental hazards, including a small hazardous waste dump in the site’s backyard, and acquire additional funds for improving the entrance.

Gov. John Baldacci pledged $500,000 to the project during his State of the State address in January and there are even funds set aside to move City Hall to the mill’s former administration building, if the city decides to do so. South Brewer Redevelopment also has removed some outlying buildings at the site.

All the work by the city reduces the amount of money private developers have to come up with, and by doing so has attracted interested people from around the country, Main-Boyington said.

“We’re really in a very different position now” compared with last year, she said. “We’re really far more attractive to developers.”