To meet these goals, Maine is going to need further funding and technical support from state government, input and tracking from municipalities, and work at both the state and local level — by community officials and citizens — to streamline the approval process.
Nathan Szanton, developer of affordable housing projects in several Maine cities, tells Mainebiz he plans to move to Colorado on June 1. Szanton Co. has had a Denver development office, headed by the owner's son, since 2022.
Whether affordable apartments or affordable homes for sale, Maine desperately needs more of them. There's been some progress. The state is helping to lead the effort, especially in rural areas.
The Uptown will have 60 rental units, with 18 offered at market rate and 42 for low-income tenants. Rents range from $794 to $1,495, depending on income.
The Picker House is a 79,000-square-foot building built in the center of the Continental Mill complex, to be developed by Szanton Co. Rents for the workforce units will range from $700 to $1,100, while market-rate units will be $1,050 to $1,450.
Szanton Co. plans a 72-unit mixed-income conversion of a 19th-century mill in Lewiston; Gorham launches a facade-improvement program; the Old Port welcomes a boutique with New Hampshire roots.
MEREDA's spring conference will be Thursday, May 25. The keynote speaker will be Sonja Trauss of the San Francisco housing advocacy group, Yes in My Back Yard.
Two significant additions to Maine's housing stock opened their doors this week. In Lewiston, the nonprofit Raise-Op unveiled two buildings with a total of 18 housing units, while in Old Orchard Beach another 55 apartments came onto the market.