Elderly housing project approved
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
FORT FAIRFIELD — A two-year effort by the Fort Fairfield Development Corporation to develop a 25-unit, elderly housing project in Fort Fairfield has been approved by Maine Housing through their 4 percent tax credit application process, held in September.
“The new project is called The Meadows and will be located off Presque Isle Street in Fort Fairfield. It will have five two-bedroom units and 20 one-bedroom units. Fourteen of the units in the building will be ADA accessible, while the other 11 units will be ADA adaptable,” said Wayne Troicke, executive director, Housing Authority of Fort Fairfield.
The building, according to Troicke, is being designed as a location where residents can age in place and have the necessary features needed for that purpose.
“Individuals with income levels at or below 60 percent of area median income guidelines will be eligible to rent at The Meadows. Currently those rates start around $22,800 for singles and $26,040 for couples,” Troicke said.
The engineering firm B.R. Smith and Associates of Presque Isle is currently in the 50 percent design phase, which is expected to be completed by Dec. 15, said Troicke.
“If all goes as scheduled, the project should go out to bid to local contractors by April 1, 2012, with a ground-breaking as early as June 1, 2012. The construction scheduled should allow the building to open around July 1, 2013,” he said.
The project is estimated at over $4 million.
“The total project cost is $4,231,312, which includes a construction cost of $128,735 per unit. The remaining $1,012,937 includes all land purchase, infrastructure, architectural and engineering, legal, pre-development, development fees and initial operating reserve costs,” explained Troicke.
The developer for the project is the town of Fort Fairfield, who has engaged Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI) as a consultant on the project.
“CEI was the developer for the Houlton tax credit project, Market Square Commons, which opened July 2010. CEI has been working with the town of Fort Fairfield and Fort Fairfield Residential Development Corporation for two years on the application process. They will now be working as a consultant during the development stage of the project,” said Troicke.
Troicke said officials are pleased to see the much-anticipated project move ahead.
“The involvement and planning of the development team and the community has been instrumental in achieving this long-awaited goal,” said Troicke.
