Photo / Maureen Milliken
Hartley Block, built by the Szanton Co. at 155 Lisbon St. in Lewiston, is one of three affordable housing developments it's developed, or is developing, in Lewiston-Auburn.
February 13, 2020
Auburn's 48 Hampshire to be completed in May
Courtesy / The Szanton Co.
A rendering of 48 Hampshire in Auburn, which is expected to open to tenants in May.
By Maureen Milliken
A 53-unit apartment building, 48 Hampshire, is expected to start welcoming tenants in downtown Auburn in early May, developer Szanton Co. said.
The 56,000-square-foot, four-story structure will include 11 market-rate and 42 workforce apartments, including one-, two- and three-bedroom units. It will be a boost for downtown, adding both vitality and to the labor force, city officials said in a news release. Auburn Housing Authority will begin offering leases in May.
“We’re excited by the opening of 48 Hampshire,” said Mayor Jason Levesque. “It’s yet another addition of quality housing to our downtown core. It builds on investments the city is making to upgrade and revitalize Hampshire Street, and will be centrally located to the bus lines, businesses and amenities in downtown Auburn.”
Szanton bought most of the development site from the city in 2017. The site had once housed a variety of residences and businesses, including a bakery, grocery store, armory, cobbler, machine shop, and plumber, as well as apartments, but had been vacant for decades. In recent years, it was used for Auburn Public Library overflow parking.
Aside from being close to the library, it's also within walking distance of the YMCA, a Hannaford supermarket, shops, restaurants and drugstores. The apartments will also be near 62 Spring St., a 41-unit building that also has a mix of market-rate and workforce housing, which was completed last year.
Peter Crichton, Auburn’s city manager, said the addition of 53 more apartments has the potential to add to the downtown labor force.
"All the councilors and the mayor, with the support of city staff, are working to make the downtown as vibrant as we can,” Crichton said in the release. “This project provides housing for lots of folks who are looking, and addresses our need for workforce development at the same time.”
The apartments aren't finished yet, "but folks can see mostly how they look," said developer Nathan Szanton, Szanton Co. president. He said a completely finished unit will be available to show prospective tenants by the end of next month.
“We’re thrilled to be at the point where we can start meeting with potential tenants and showing them our building," he said.
Workforce units at the building will be available for those who make 60% or less of the city's median income, with rents ranging from roughly $600 to $1,015. Market-rate rents are expected to range from $925 to $1350 a month. Heat and hot water, off-street parking, and wi-fi will be included in the rent. The size of the units ranges from 590 square feet to 970 square feet.
48 Hampshire was designed by Auburn-based Platz Associates, and the contractor is Benchmark Construction, of Westbrook. Planning for the project began in 2017, and construction started last spring.
Szanton Co. assembled a financing package that includes federal Affordable Housing Tax Credits and debt from MaineHousing. The city contributed federal HOME money and tax increment financing.
Filling holes in the landscape
The company began construction on 48 Hampshire around the time it was completing the 63-unit Hartley Block, at 155 Lisbon St., in Lewiston.
Szanton told Mainebiz at the time that, aside from the financial aspect of including market-rate apartments, it’s also important for the community.
“We want to have a mix of people, with different backgrounds and from different walks of life,” he said.
Both projects not only fill a literal hole in the landscape — the Hartley Block was also built on a long-vacant downtown lot — but also help fill a hole in housing availability.
“There’s a very strong demand for high-quality affordable housing in the Lewiston-Auburn area,” Szanton said. “A lot of what’s there is poor quality, it’s been neglected for decades.”
He said particularly in the downtown Lewiston neighborhoods of Little Canada and Tree Street, and downtown Auburn — neighborhoods that are traditionally working-class and renter-focused — there is little quality housing stock for people on the lower end of the income scale.
Szanton Co. also developed the Lofts at Bates Mills in Lewiston, which has 48 one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The two Lewiston properties are managed by Saco Falls Management, a division of the company.
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