New England Outdoor Center owner aims to revitalize Katahdin region with new complex

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 28, 2021

The owner of an outdoor recreation center in the Katahdin region is finally moving ahead with plans to develop a 280-acre parcel into an activity center, hotel, artists village and more. Matthew Polstein, owner of the New England Outdoor Center, initially hatched the plans to develop Hammond Ridge, a parcel of land near Millinocket in Penobscot County’s unorganized territory, in 2007. Polstein’s revised plans call for the construction over the next 30 years of an activity center with a brewery, events center, hotel, artists village, private residences and employee housing. The event center, which could open as early as next year, could host weddings, family reunions and large gatherings. Polstein said that he might begin selling residential lots, all with views of Katahdin and Millinocket Lake, as early as next year.