Vision for senior housing project unveiled in Houlton

HOULTON – Details are emerging about an affordable senior housing project that is set for a summer groundbreaking in Market Square, as Coastal Enterprises Inc. on Wednesday released an artist’s rendering of the facility.

The three-story apartment complex, which will have a brick facade and will cost an estimated $2.5 million to build, will take approximately a year to construct. It is set to open in fall 2009. Financing for the project will come from MaineHousing and a number of other sources, John Egan, CEI’s housing developer, said Tuesday. CEI will post a $600,000 financial commitment to the project.

MaineHousing, formerly known as the Maine State Housing Authority, is an independent state agency that combines public and private housing funds to benefit Maine’s low- and moderate-income residents. More than 90,000 Maine households benefited from MaineHousing’s programs in 2006.

CEI announced late last year that it would construct the housing complex in downtown Market Square in the back of the Temple Theatre parking lot. Town councilors and other officials have expressed excitement about the project, which gained approval from the municipal planning and zoning boards last fall.

Residents who meet eligibility standards will pay rents of $430 to $575 per month, including all utilities, according to information provided by CEI.

The 28 units will be rented to seniors who are in one- and two-person households. There will be a services coordinator on site to assist in linking residents with local services and transportation. Though this assistance will be available, the housing is not intended for seniors with critical health care needs who would be better served in assisted-living or medium- to long-term health care facilities.

Egan said Tuesday that officials are hoping to break ground on the complex in late July or August.

Town Manager Douglas Hazlett said Tuesday he was excited about the project, saying that it would help fulfill a need to revitalize housing within Market Square while also providing “quality affordable housing to an important segment of our population.”