Avesta to unveil $7M affordable housing development in Scarborough
Photo / Courtesy, Avesta Housing
Village Commons, with 31 units for people age 55 or older, is part of a larger project called Firehouse Village, a mixed-use development on the site of a former public safety complex.
Avesta Housing is ready to unveil Village Commons, a $6.97 million affordable housing development at 246 U.S. Route 1 in Scarborough.
The three-story, 23,750-square-foot building has 31 studio and one-bedroom apartments for people age 55 or older. The energy-efficient design includes solar panels, and there are amenities such as laundry facilities, on-site parking and a community room.
Village Commons was completed in February, and its grand opening is scheduled for Tuesday, June 18, at 2 p.m.
All but two of the units have been leased, Sara Olson, Avesta’s vice president of advancement, told Mainebiz. Forty percent of the units are available for renters with 60% or less of area median income; 60% are available to renters with 50% or less of the AMI. Rent ranges from approximately $1,100 to $1,300 per unit.
The development team included Avesta, Kaplan Thompson Architects in Portland and Hebert Construction in Lewiston. Funding came from Gorham Savings Bank, MaineHousing, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston and CREA, an affordable housing financial services institution headquartered in Indiana.
Village Commons is part of a larger project called Firehouse Village, a mixed-use development on the site of a former public safety complex. In addition to Village Commons, Firehouse Village includes a mixture of office and retail space, including Harbor Fish Market, Rosemont Market & Bakery and Maniac Community Fitness.
Firehouse Ventures LLC owns and coordinated the redevelopment.
The overall Firehouse Village project, which involved renovating the former police and fire stations as a small business hub, is complete, with some minor renovations underway in one commercial space.
Founded in 1972, Avesta is the largest nonprofit affordable housing provider in Maine. It manages more than 150 properties and has 800 new homes and units in development.
The overall redevelopment project began in 2020, after Scarborough's police and fire departments moved nearby to 275 U.S. Route 1.
The high-visibility property is in the heart of a busy area of retailers, restaurants, offices and housing, with a traffic count of over 28,300 cars daily.
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