Biddeford mulls plan for 39-unit affordable housing complex
Courtesy / CHA Architecture
An architectural sketch shows the north side of the proposed affordable housing building in Biddeford.
The city of Biddeford next week will consider plans to bring 39 units of much-needed affordable family housing to a neighborhood just south of the downtown.
The Planning Board is scheduled to take up the final site plan and subdivision review for the proposed five-story building at 69 Adams St., a 1.5-acre dead-end lot that is currently vacant. It’s owned by Southern Maine Affordable Housing, a development branch of the Biddeford Housing Authority, and formerly was the site of a church convent destroyed by fire in 1996.
The project calls for 13 one-bedroom apartments and 26 two-bedroom units, according to city documents. Construction costs and potential rent ranges aren’t yet available.
In addition to board approval, Southern Maine Affordable Housing and partner Adams Point LP are requesting the Biddeford City Council to create a contract zone for the project, allowing fewer parking spaces and greater building height than the existing zone.
Adams Point, as the project is called, would include 35 parking spaces, instead of the 65 that would otherwise be necessary. The building would be 60 feet high.
The project comes for review as many communities in Maine struggle to provide more affordable housing. The challenge is acute in Biddeford, which has seen an increase in new residents and whose population averages as one of the youngest in the state.
A draft of the contract zone request, which the Planning Board may vote to approve and submit to the council, says, “There is a demonstrated need for the type of housing to be constructed which is intended to be for families of personnel employed by businesses located in the neighborhood. While Biddeford does have an existing rental housing stock, the units in this building will be affordable units specifically for families in the community.”
The Planning Board is scheduled to meet Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. in Biddeford City Hall and via remote access. More information can be found here.
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