Sanford Declares Woolen Mill Abandoned, Sweeps Homeless — Who Profits?

Sanford, Maine has shut down the road next to its old Woolen Mill, declared the property abandoned, and started arresting people there — and the only thing clearer than the city's authority is the question of who stands to gain once the mill is gone for good.

The Sanford City Council voted in July to declare the mill officially abandoned, according to the Portland Press Herald. Last Thursday, the city closed Heritage Crossing to both vehicles and pedestrians, citing accumulated trash and waste that created what officials called an "attractive nuisance and extraordinary public safety hazard." On Tuesday, the council will vote whether to extend or terminate that emergency closure.

The mill has drawn homeless residents since the abandonment declaration. Neighbors and business owners have complained about syringe waste and fire hazards. Police Chief Eric Small defended the road closure in a Facebook statement: "We recognize that this closure may cause some inconvenience. However, protecting the public, neighboring businesses, and emergency personnel must remain our priority."

Police swept the property Tuesday morning, arresting three people for criminal trespass, violating release conditions, and outstanding warrants. Three others received summonses for criminal trespass. Police Maj. Mark Dyer told the Press Herald that enforcement had been difficult because the city doesn't own the mill — but with the abandonment declaration and permission from the property's "now-defunct owner," officers now have more leeway to clear the site.

Dyer promised the sweeps would continue: "We're not gonna just do this operation and be done. We have been stepping up our drive-bys, our footbeats, officers just parked in the area — that will continue."

Here's what neither the city nor the Press Herald addressed: who actually controls this property now? The owner is described as "now-defunct" — meaning a corporate entity that no longer exists has title to a piece of American industrial heritage. The city declares it abandoned, grants itself enforcement authority, and starts clearing people off the land. What happens next? Who buys it? What gets built there? The Press Herald framed this entirely as a public-safety story about nuisance and trespass. The WEAU source provided no coverage of this issue at all.

This is the pattern across the country: a mill or factory that once employed hundreds sits empty after decades of offshoring and neglect. The owner vanishes. The community left behind deals with the wreckage — in this case, homeless Americans seeking shelter in the bones of an industry that used to pay a wage. Then the city steps in, cites safety, and clears the ground for whatever comes next. The people who worked there, the people living near it, and the people sheltering in it are all spectators.

The Woolen Mill wasn't always a hazard. It was a paycheck. The question Sanford's council owes its residents an answer to is not whether the road stays closed — it's who gets the mill once the people are gone.