Newmarket residents and business owners are being invited to participate in a series of tours, open houses and meetings to discuss potential uses for the historic mill complex in the town center, along the Lamprey River and Main Street.

The Newmarket Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit corporation that owns the mills, is seeking public input on the redevelopment direction.

“This is a preliminary meeting, engaging the public, to help us create a robust request for proposals, which we hope to release in September,” says Arlon Chaffee, president of the NCDC.

In June 2004, Smuttynose Brewery owner Peter Egelston approached the NCDC with plans to relocate his brewery from Portsmouth to Newmarket. The Brewery would have occupied nearly 70,000 square feet of the mills, but negotiations fell through in November 2005.

The public sessions will take place this month. They include tours of the property on Saturday and Sunday, June 10 and 11, at 1 p.m. Participants should gather near the Fraternal Order of Eagles on Main Street.

An open house takes place Thursday, June 15, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Town Hall Auditorium. This is a chance to view pictures, reports and exhibits related to the mills, as well as an opportunity to discuss the project with NCDC board members and consultants.

The NCDC is working with the Cecil Group of Boston as the lead consultant in the initiative and with Bonz & Company, real estate and economic advisors with experience in assisting communities and developers in transforming historic buildings.

The NCDC says that the goal is to frame a vision for redevelopment and to select a preferred developer and redevelopment that will be well-coordinated with other important downtown improvement initiatives.