🔒Freeport approves second housing project for downtown

Two recently approved housing projects expected to break ground this spring will add 96 apartments and condominiums in Freeport’s downtown district. Depot Terraces is the latest development to get the green light from the Freeport Planning Board. The four-story, 45-unit condominium complex, to be built on Depot Street, was approved by the board last week. The mixed-income project will be built on a three-quarter-acre plot — currently a parking lot — adjacent to Freeport Community Services and the Amtrak Downeaster train depot. The complex will be across the street from the recently approved three-story, 38,000-square-foot, 51-unit market-rate apartment project — to be called the Dash — under development by M&R Holdings, the team behind the Downs community in Scarborough.

Domus development team

Depot Terraces is the second housing project for the Domus development group, an innovative partnership between Jack Soley and principals from Lewiston-based Hebert Construction and nonprofit Avesta Housing, headquartered in Portland. The focus is on creating affordable housing that can be built more quickly than traditional projects by maximizing efficiencies in the design and building processes. The Domus team currently has a nearly identical project under construction in Westbrook, called Clover Terraces, which was designed by Portland-based Kaplan Thompson Architects, through a collaborative process. “We got all the contractors and vendors together in the same room, which never happens, and brainstormed the project together to integrate design solutions that would increase efficiencies and speed construction," Soley told Mainebiz. The concept is envisioned to be replicable in other towns across the state; the team is already eyeing future locations. The condominiums will be relatively compact. The 34 units priced for “workforce housing” are roughly 500 square feet. The 11 market-rate units feature 18-foot high ceilings which allow for an additional loft room of 130 square feet. Tim Hebert said all of the units will have higher-than-standard ceilings and will feature wood and tile flooring, large windows, “high-end finishes” and in-unit laundry facilities. They are also super insulated and energy-efficient, built to Passive House standards. The market-rate homes are expected to be priced “in the mid-$400,000s,” Soley said, and will help offset the costs for the units estimated to be priced starting under $300,000, for households earning no more than 120% of the area median income. The equation means the project can be built without relying on complex subsidies and helps to get the build underway faster. Soley said “We have little to no margins on the workforce units so the profit from the market rate units are necessary to subsidize the project.” But the Domus team expects project costs will decrease over time for future versions of the concept, as lessons are learned and efficiencies maximized. Construction costs need to stabilize too. “We’re not in this to make money; we’re mission-driven,” Soley said. “And the most need right now is for affordable housing.” The two Freeport projects also help meet town leaders’ goal of energizing the retail-oriented downtown with more housing. A 2021 study found that the town center, while a popular shopping district, has experienced a significant decline in population, from a high of 1,500 years ago to the current low of fewer than 300 residents who live within walking distance of downtown services and shops.