About First Park > History
History
FirstPark is an economic development project of the Kennebec Regional Development Authority (KRDA). KRDA was formed as a successor organization to The People of the Kennebec, itself a consortium of civic and community-minded organizations whose members included the Chambers of Commerce, economical development organizations, local businesses, banks, hospitals and educational institutions.
The common ground that gave impetus to The People of the Kennebec, and later KRDA, was regional economic development and job creation. With state leadership, the building of a series of "Super Parks" was identified as a critical step to facilitate business attraction. A competitive, state-wide grant application process ultimately led to Oakland as the site selected for the first Super Park – a 285 acre parcel now known as FirstPark. The original projection was for up to 3,000 new jobs to be generated from business relocation/investment in FirstPark. This projection was over a 20-year period. Target industries include technology, information processing & storage, high-end service sectors, and alternative energy.
Such specialization minimizes competition from traditional industrial parks in the area and most importantly will provide the diversity, stability and vitality so critical to the sustained economic growth of the area.
