🔒Building Business: First phase of affordable housing projects gets underway in Portland’s Deering Oaks neighborhood

Construction has begun on the Lambert Woods North apartments at 2274 Washington Ave. Extension in Portland, phase one of a large affordable housing development that will eventually include 162 apartments. Construction has begun on the Lambert Woods North apartments at 2274 Washington Ave. Extension in Portland, phase one of a large affordable housing development that will eventually include 162 apartments. The 72 Lambert Woods North units will be spread over six buildings on the 14-acre site and will offer both townhomes and three-story walkup apartments. The city chose Maine Cooperative Development Partners of Portland, to design and implement the project. Preservation of Affordable Housing, a Boston-based nonprofit affordable housing organization, is the lead developer working with MCDP. This is the nonprofit’s first development in Maine. The second phase of the development will be Lambert Woods South, a 90-unit limited equity housing cooperative for middle-income households, slated to begin construction later this year. Funding for the $23 million project, targeted for completion in 2027, has been provided by MaineHousing, Portland’s Jill C. Duson Housing Trust and Indianapolis-based CREA LLC. Falmouth-based Penobscot General Contractors is the builder, Portland-based Kaplan Thompson Architects is handling design and Acorn Engineering, also based in Portland, is the civil engineer.

Construction News From Around The State

R.J. Grondin & Sons, based in Gorham, has begun site work on two new elementary schools for the city of Saco, which will replace four outdated buildings when completed in 2028. The new school for pre-K and kindergarten will be 60,000 square feet and the new facility for grades 1 through 5 will be 156,000 square feet. Contractor for the build is Standish-based Arthur C. Dudley. Oak Point Associates, based in Biddeford, is the architect. Portland developer Jack Soley is partnering with Lewiston-based Hebert Construction and Avesta Housing, headquartered in Portland, to build affordably priced condominium complexes in locations across the state. The first project is the 45-unit Clover Terraces at 35 Seavey St. in downtown Westbrook. The one- and two-bedroom condos are compact, energy efficient and targeted to first-time middle-income buyers. Prices will start at $293,294. Norway Savings Bank is financing the project. Portland-based Kaplan Thompson Architects is the design team.

Portland-based Developers Collaborative has broken ground on another 55-plus condominium building for the Stevens Square at Baxter Woods community, located off Stevens Avenue in Portland’s Deering Center. The 61,136-square-foot complex is the third of five buildings planned for the 19-acre site and will contain 28 two- and three-bedroom market-rate condos for older residents. South Portland-based Optimum Construction is the contractor for this phase of the project, which is expected to take 14 to 16 months to build.