Coastal Enterprises plans to move most of its Wiscasset staff to Brunswick and will be considering its options for three buildings it owns here, officials with the nonprofit said.

The organization has signed an option to buy two municipal buildings in Brunswick for a total of $300,000, said John Egan, Coastal Enterprises' director of housing development. The option does not allow a closing until April 1, 2014, giving Brunswick time to clear out of the buildings and Coastal Enterprises time to dodesign and other work, Egan said.

The decision follows a yearlong look into consolidation into a headquarters, which is being called CEI (Coastal Enterprises Inc.) Central, Egan said. The Brunswick-Topsham area was chosen for its access to the interstate, he said.

“Accessing the location was really what came to the top in that analysis,” Egan said.

Other Coastal Enterprises staff will be moved from Portland to the new headquarters in Brunswick, Egan said.

The decision to consolidate has not come easily after nearly three decades in Wiscasset, he said. “Thirty years, that's a lot of history, and particularly for our leadership it's a big change. That was not taken lightly.”

Just under 50 workers are currently based in Wiscasset; most of those jobs will be moved, but a permanent, probably small staff is expected to remain, Egan said. Plans call for area businesspeople to continue to be able to meet in Wiscasset with the organization's staff, he said.

Coastal Enterprises provides businesses with financing and consulting services. It owns three downtown buildings, known as Port Wiscasset and the Haggett and Tucker buildings.

The organization may decide to sell some or all of those properties and lease back some of the space, Egan said.

If the organization sells the buildings, that could benefit Wiscasset, Coastal Enterprises' founder and Chief Executive Officer Ronald Phillips said.

For example, the buildings' next occupants could be retailers, bringing jobs and shoppers totown, Phillips said.

“One door closesand another opens. There may be better uses for our buildings in Wiscasset than we've put them to,” he said.

Wiscasset Town Manager Laurie Smith said she and Phillips have spoken about the town and Coastal Enterprises working together on a “transition strategy.”

“The fortunate thing is, we do have some time to do that,” since the organization's changes are not immediate, Smith said.

Smith said she understands Coastal Enterprises has had to make its decisions from the standpoint of maintaining its health as an organization. “However, we are certainly going to miss their presence as a local employer,” she said.

The planned changes do not involve another property Coastal Enterprises has in town, the 27-unit, Deer Ridge senior housing on Route 218, Egan said. That ownership will continue, he said.

Brunswick's buildings that Coastal Enterprises has the option on became available due to a series of changes in the works there. Town offices will move to the McLellan building, formerly owned by Bowdoin College, and the police department will move to a new station at Stanwood, Mill and Pleasant streets, Brunswick Town Council Vice Chairman Margo Knight said.

Brunswick's recreation department will move to Brunswick Landing, the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, Knight said.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or susanjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com