🔒Mixed-used building proposed for Cape Elizabeth vacant lot
An 18-unit apartment building, currently called Cape Commons, is designed to include commercial space as well as 'live-work' units, for middle-income earners. RENDERING COURTESY GREENMARS
The three-story, 5,000-square-foot apartment building with ground floor commercial space, would repurpose a long-empty lot next to Cape Elizabeth Town Hall.
Cape Elizabeth is considering a proposal to build an 18-unit apartment and commercial building on a vacant lot next door to the town hall at 316 Ocean House Road.
GreenMars, a Portland-based developer, has proposed a three-story, 5,000-square-foot apartment building with ground-floor space for retail, restaurants or other businesses.
The housing portion is aimed at middle-income earners, households with incomes not exceeding 80% of the area median income, which for Cumberland County is $74,800 for an individual.
Developers have met with the Planning Board several times.
The three-quarter-acre site has been vacant for close to 20 years, after local resident Paul Woods bought it from the town and received approval to develop a similar-sized project. That project was never built and the site, home to a gas station decades ago, has remained empty ever since.
The empty lot next to Cape Elizabeth's town hall has been vacant for decades. PHOTO / TINA FISCHER
Cape Elizabeth has been cautious about new developments in the town center, prompting a developer to cancel plans for an affordable housing project in 2021.
The empty lot at 316 Ocean House Road is zoned for commercial and residential use, meaning no variances are needed, and repurposing the highly visible property has been discussed for years.
Planning Board members raised only minor questions at its site plan review last month, while board chair Andrew Gilbert complimented the building’s design, saying he was intrigued by the live-work component for the building.
Townhouse-style units
GreenMars is proposing to offer six 700-square-foot, one-bedroom townhouse-style units in the building, which would provide both living space and a ground floor commercial/office space, to accommodate small business owners who need both an office and housing.
“We are picturing entrepreneurs and business owners who are starting out but can't yet afford both an apartment and a commercial lease, or a local artist who needs a studio where they can work, with no commute,” said Chris Marshall, principal with GreenMars.
“By combining home and workplace under one roof, we dramatically lower the cost of getting a business off the ground; renting one space instead of two."
Marshall said the project would address a need in Cape Elizabeth.
“While this is the first time we're employing this model in one of our projects, we believe it fills a real gap for local businesses,” Marshall said, “and will add lasting value to the neighborhood.”
The live-work units would be in addition to two 1,100- to 1,200-square-foot commercial spaces on the ground floor.
The 12 apartments on the top two floors are designed to range in size from 450 square feet for the two one-bedroom units to 530 square feet for the 10 two-bedroom apartments.
Building costs
Marshall said the size of the units reflects the high cost of construction.
“Even a smaller apartment now costs between $150,000 and $200,000 to build," he noted.
The project will have 33 parking spaces behind the building and 18 shared spaces in the adjoining town hall lot.
A public hearing on the project is planned for the board’s Aug. 18 meeting. If the project gets the green light, GreenMars hopes to break ground in summer 2027.
