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Downs developer to build 51-unit apartment building in Freeport

A picture shows a multi-story building. Rendering / Courtesy M&R Development Freeport approved ground-up construction of a 51-unit apartment building on the corner of Depot and Mill streets, currently used as a parking lot.
By Laurie Schreiber

The developer of the 577-acre mixed-use Downs development in Scarborough has set its sights on creating a ground-up construction of a 51-unit apartment building in Freeport.

The town of Freeport approved M&R Development’s project, called the Dash, to be sited on the corner of Depot and Mill streets, one block from Main Street and the flagship store of L.L.Bean. The site is now a surface parking lot.

The architect is Woodhull, which is based in Portland and has a Brunswick millwork shop.

With approval, the project will move forward to finalize the building design and secure a building permit, with construction expected to break ground in the spring of 2026 and wrap up a year later, an M&R spokesperson told Mainebiz. 

The project cost and financing were not disclosed.

M&R Development
A rendering of the Dash apartment building, as viewed from Main Street in Freeport.

Key parcel

The location has been identified by the town as a key parcel for housing development, according to a news release.

“Elected officials, volunteer board members and town staff have worked hard over the last year to create predictable approval processes for great projects like the Dash, and it was very affirming to see residents stand up, one after the other, to voice their support for new housing in Freeport,” said Brett Richardson, the town’s development director.

The town’s 2025 comprehensive plan and 2021 "downtown vision report” noted that the downtown area has experienced a decline in population. It calls for adding high-density zoning, including multifamily housing.

At one time, more than 1,500 people lived in the downtown area. Today, there are fewer than 300 residents, according to a town report. 

Housing will help maintain the village area as a destination and key to the town’s tourism economy, said Mary Davis, president of Freeport’s economic development committee. 

Schooner Dash

The three-story building will offer studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, a space for gatherings and 51 parking spaces.

The name pays homage to a historic ship called the Dash, which was built in Freeport in 1813 during the War of 1812. The schooner completed 15 voyages, many into international waters, until one day it sailed into a storm and was never seen again. 

According to folklore, each time a descendant of one of the original 60 lost crewmen dies, the ship is said to appear off the coast of Freeport. 

The project is an outcome of M&R’s early planning of the Downs in Scarborough, when the company’s team collaborated with Freeport leadership and the Downtown Vision Committee to share research and ideas, said Dan Bacon, M&R’s director of development. 

“We know downtowns need people to remain vibrant, and we are excited to deliver that to historic Freeport,” Bacon said.

The Dash is M&R’s eighth housing development project since 2015, building hundreds of housing units of all types in Westbrook, South Portland, Scarborough and now Freeport. 

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