FARMINGTON – Representatives of state and local agencies, businesses and the developers took the ceremonial first shovelfuls of dirt today, marking the start of construction of an affordable, elderly housing complex off the Fairbanks Road.
The two-story Brookside Village Affordable Senior Housing building is anticipated to open in approximately one year at the former site of the Maine Dowell Mill at 247 Fairbanks Road. Once complete, it will include 32, single-unit apartments for Mainers 62 years and older. The units will be aimed at low-income residents, with U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and MaineHousing providing rental assistance.
Developers Bill Marceau and Byron “Buzz” Davis see the $3.2 million project as the first component of the larger Willow Springs project, first proposed nearly a decade ago. Both the developers and the various state agencies supporting the project see a need for affordable, elderly housing; a May 2010 market survey showed a need for more than 300 apartments for seniors in the Farmington area.
In addition to USDA Rural Development and MaineHousing, other financing partners include Maine Department of Economic and Community Development’s Community Development Block Grant program, which is providing nearly $300,000 to fund public infrastructure connecting into Brookside. Franklin Savings Bank provided the financing for planning and development, while Bangor Savings Bank is providing financing for the construction.
Thursday, Davis said that it was through “courage” and “cooperation” on the part of the various partners that the old, partially-burned mill could be replaced by a new building. The developers hauled 217 tons of metal and 412 tons of wood chips out of the site, sending the material to recycling facilities and biomass plants, and worked with local landowners to acquire land necessary to create the ideal footprint.
USDA Rural Development Director Virgina Manuel said that $140,800 would be provided annually to subsidize tenant rent payments, as part of the agency’s commitment to provide “quality and affordable homes” for area seniors.
“We need all the senior housing we can get,” Manuel said, citing the 2010 study.
Manuel and others noted that the building would be “net zero,” meaning it would rely entirely on renewable energy sources. More than 225 photovoltaic cells on the roof will provide electricity, while a geothermal system will heat and cool the building.
Yay Bill! Happy to see your hard work, patience and perseverance finally come to fruition! This complex will be a great addition to our community. Thank you.
Congrats!
Doug
I’m all for affordable housing but…. is there no true private enterprise left in America? Tax payers subsidize the rent payments, sounds like some utility hookups, and possibly other USDA grants received to build these type of projects.(?) The banks have the government(us taxpayers) insure the loans. If developers want to build these projects where they profit substantially in the long run is this not corporate welfare? Meanwhile new home construction by the taxpaying citizens of this area is all but nonexistent.
I feel if we spent more time on reducing our taxes working Mainers could keep more in their pockets and save to pay for their own retirement ( I know that sounds crazy to half of the U.S.) rather than taking and redistributing money from the working poor of Maine .
That said they have done one great job cleaning up that area and best of luck to them.
Congrats Dad!
I am glad they are putting in a nice Eco-friendly senior housing facility. Our senior citizens deserve another decent housing apartment complex. I know earlier in the planning stages they were discussing building another low income welfare recipient type housing facility (which we already have way too many of in the area) and that had me and many of my neighbors and other local citizens quite concerned due to the history of problems, types of people and the conditions/appearance of those type of low income housing facilities. Good decision to go senior housing over low income welfare type housing. Good work by Bill Marceau, Byron “Buzz” Davis, USDA Rural Development, Maine Housing, Maine Department of Economic and Community Development’s Community Development Block Grant program, Franklin Savings Bank, Bangor Savings Bank and any other people involved in the development of this facility.
Glad to see the project get started. Hopefully it will create some much needed construction jobs, at least for a little while, for workers in the Farmington area. Probably not though, as with most larger-scaled jobs in the area the GC comes from away and hires sub-contractors from away as well. Oh well!
Either way it’s great to see a good plan come together.