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In Westbrook, pre-fab panels speed construction on Seavey Crossing project

aerial view of apartment building under construction PHOTO / HEBERT CONSTRUCTION Seavey Crossing is under construction in Westbrook.
By Tina Fischer

By using prefabricated wooden panels for walls, elevator shafts, floors and roofing, Lewiston-based Hebert Construction is consolidating building time on a 61-unit affordable senior housing project in Westbrook.

Zach Wishman, Hebert’s project manager for the Avesta Housing apartment complex, told Mainebiz that the panels were manufactured by Atlas Structural Systems in New Brunswick, Canada.  

“Traditional wall panels are 8- to 9-feet maximum. Atlas has the ability to provide panels over 20 feet long where practical. Longer panels mean fewer walls needing to be set, speeding up the construction schedule,” Wishman said.

“The floor and roof panels come to us with sheathing nailed and glued, trusses spaced, and joist hangers installed. This eliminates three processes on-site, speeding up framing.

“The elevator shaft walls were also panelized from Atlas. We have found that panelized elevator shaft walls are more cost-effective than concrete elevator shafts," Wishman added. 

The system allows the building to be closed in faster with less exposure to weather, minimizing mold risk. 

“Less time is spent with snow removal, and subsequent trades mobilize earlier,” Wishman said. “The result is an accelerated framing schedule which allows for much-needed housing to be provided in a shorter time span.”

Seavey Crossing is a five-story, 55,000-square-foot, 55-plus affordable housing project, developed by Avesta Housing and designed by Simons Architects, both of which are based in Portland.

rendering of Seavey Crossing affordable apartments
RENDERING / AVESTA HOUSING
An affordable senior housing apartment complex at 35 Seavey St. in Westbrook is targeted for completion in summer 2026.

Avesta’s Rod Harmon said qualifying applicants for Seavey Crossing will be those whose household income is at or below 60% of the area median income — $72,700 for one individual in Westbrook, which equals an income of $43,620.

All units are one-bedroom and range in size from 550 to 650 square feet. Lease rates haven’t yet been finalized. The project is targeted for completion in summer 2026.

Total development costs are estimated to be $21.4 million. 

Seavey Crossing, at 35 Seavey St., shares a campus with Seavey Terraces, a 65-unit apartment complex also built by Hebert in a partnership with Avesta and developer Jack Soley. It’s currently leased to graduate students and staff from the University of New England’s Portland campus.

Seavey Crossing is solely owned and operated by Avesta Housing.

Breaking ground this week at the same location is a 45-unit condominium building designed to address the need for affordable middle-income housing in Maine. Clover Terraces is the first project by Domus, a joint venture between Avesta, Soley and Hebert.

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