By Carol McCracken (Post # 2,193)
The City’s Housing and Community Development Committee is considering converting a parking lot at 65 Munjoy Street on Munjoy Hill into affordable condominium units. The subject has been on the Committee’s agenda for a few months and will be revisited later this month again. The Committee is chaired by councilor Kevin Donoghue. This action is in part due to a request by the city council to locate city parcels available for affordable housing – seriously needed in the Portland area.
Jeff Levine, Director of the City’s Planning & Urban Development office told the board of the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization tonight that the .15 acres of property currently used for parking on the Hill, is a parcel of the original plan to redevelop the former Adams School into affordable housing. Six years ago Avesta Housing was the only developer to respond to a city’s RFP to redevelop the property into a 40-unit residential development once called Beckett Green. However, due to the economic recession, the development was scaled back and 16 units were built instead. All units have been sold at the Adams Condominiums.
On Wednesday, October 22, at 5:30 pm., the Committee will consider the property with the possibility of requesting staff to prepare an RFP to developers for the redevelopment of this parcel. It is anticipated that there would be eight units built with a preference for condominium construction. The units would be 120% of area median income or perhaps that will be changed to 100%. A family of two with an income between $61,875.00 and $74,250 would qualify for purchase. A family of four with an income of $77,313 to $92,760 would qualify as well according to Mary Davis, staff member for the Committee, who also attended the MHNO meeting.
Levine told th board members that his office has seen a good deal of interest from developers. “We’ve received a few phone calls from them looking for information,” he said. It is possible that construction of the units could begin as early as late next summer.
Adams School was vacated when the East End Community School on North Street was constructed. The school was originally named for a long-time teacher on the Hill – Marada F. Adams.