🔒Sanford’s Jagger Mill being reborn as 86-unit apartment complex

Redevelopment of the 70,000-square-foot former Jagger Mill in Sanford is well underway, and by fall will add 86 units of much-needed housing to the city. The 105-year-old brick building is being repurposed by Newmarket, N.H.-based Chinburg Properties Inc., an integrated development, construction and management company which has rehabbed mill buildings in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont. The company most recently renovated building Eleven in Biddeford’s Pepperell Mill campus into 76 market-rate apartments. The Jagger Mill complex will feature a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom market-rate apartments. Rents will range from $1,500 for the 450-square-foot studios to $3,000 for the two-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot units. Paul Goodwin, Chinburg’s director of commercial development, told Mainebiz the total cost of the project will be $17.6 million. Over $2 million of the budget is being spent on replacing the four-story mill’s 260 windows, with historic replicas of the building’s original large panels. The restorations were built by Universal Window and Door, headquartered in Marlborough, Mass., and installed by Falmouth-based Rich Exterior Solutions.

Jagger Mill sits on close to three acres at 5 Water St., in the city’s Springvale area. Formerly a weaving operation owned by Goodall-Sanford Mills, the Jagger family purchased it in 1956. In the late 1980s, David Jagger transitioned operations into spinning yarn, producing for both private label and for the company’s own Jagger Spun line until 2024, when Eric Chinburg purchased the property for $1.3 million. The developer said it will preserve the building’s historic character while introducing modern amenities such as high-end finishes, energy-efficient systems, community spaces, a fitness center, laundry facilities, bicycle storage and a dog wash area. “We are proud to specialize in large-scale rehabilitation projects that preserve historic buildings and transform them for modern use,” said Matt Assia, Chinburg’s executive vice president for development and asset management.

“We look forward to delivering a beautifully restored historic building that preserves its brick-and-beam character and highlights its high ceilings and over-sized windows to create living spaces for today’s lifestyles,” Assia said. Housing is considered a critical need in Sanford. “This investment in Sanford not only preserves an important historic asset, but helps address critical housing needs and contributes to easing the statewide housing shortage," Keith McBride, executive director of the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council, said. "It will support our workforce and provide opportunities for residents to age in place.” The mill redevelopment is one of several recent housing projects in Sanford. A total of 270 apartments were added over the past five years and another 450 apartments and condos, are in the pipeline. Leasing for Jagger Mill will begin in July for fall occupancy. The full project is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026.