In a region known for quaint downtowns, a community without one builds from scratch [Video]

A town center is taking shape in the heart of Scarborough – just a few centuries late.

Streets, buildings and the beginnings of a village green are being built where the Scarborough Downs racetrack and grandstand stood for 70 years.

The company that’s redeveloping the 525-acre former horse-racing facility is creating Maine’s first purpose-built downtown from the ground up. The project is moving ahead whether or not longtime residents like the idea, and opinions are mixed.

It will be the centerpiece of The Downs, which already includes over 600 units of mixed housing off Route 1 and more than 50 companies in the business park off Payne Road. The state’s first Costco opened at the edge of the Innovation District last fall.

Nearly seven years after Crossroads Holdings bought the property for $6.7 million, the developers aim to deliver on a promise to build a town center – a feature of many New England communities that’s been missing in Scarborough since it was founded …