Nonprofit aims to bring 162 housing units to Boothbay region

Courtesy / Boothbay Regional Development Corp. Plans for the new development envision a range of thoughtfully-priced housing options, to be built in phases.

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By Tina Fischer

Boothbay Regional Development Corp. has broken ground on the first phase of a new middle-income housing complex that the nonprofit hopes will eventually bring 162 units of much-needed housing to the Boothbay Peninsula.

The goal of the project is to create a range of housing choices, both for sale and for rent, which is affordable to a range of incomes in the region.

The initial phase of construction will include 20 condominium townhomes priced for residents making no more than 120% of the area median income. Each 1100-square-foot home will feature two bedrooms, one and a half baths, private yard space, parking with EV charging capability, and energy efficient heating and cooling systems.

Future phases are targeted to include apartments, single-family homes, and additional condominiums on the 30-acre parcel on Butler Road in Boothbay.

The three partners in the corporation are year-round residents of the peninsula and have spent years raising public and private funds for the project. The town of Boothbay was an early supporter in 2022, providing $50,000 in municipal American Rescue Plan Act funds. To date the corporation has raised more than $3.4 million in private funds, which will be used to reduce purchase prices for income eligible buyers.

The principles have a wealth of experience in housing development. Steve Malcom is the founder and CEO of Knickerbocker Group. Erin Cooperrider has 17 years of experience as development director for a nonprofit, affordable housing developer based in Portland, and Susan Witt was instrumental in the creation of a group home in Boothbay Harbor for people with developmental disabilities.

Freeport-based Zachau Construction is the construction manager for the project. Andrew Veilleux is the project engineer, Nathan Hjelm is the project manager and Daryl Norton is the superintendent.

Curtis Thormann, vice president of operations for Zachau commented, “As a firm committed to the affordable and workforce housing markets, we are constantly looking for more efficient ways to build. We had been looking for opportunities to partner on a modular project which we believe has huge potential to impact the Maine housing industry. We were lucky to find a partner in the Boothbay Regional Development Co. that shared that same vision and trusted us to deliver this project for them.”

Zachau has built a number of notable projects in Maine including the Mercy Hospital redevelopment, L.L.Bean headquarters and the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine.

The condominiums will be modular construction from KBS Builders, based in South Paris and Oxford.