Construction is Expected to be Completed in the Fall of 2013
Construction of Phase 2 Expected to Begin in Early September
“The footprint of this building is larger than the Hampton Inn building. That’s why we’ve made the whole building look like several smaller buildings,” said Mark Wolgrom, president of Opechee Construction at a neighborhood meeting held at the Hampton Inn last night. The proposed building sits on just over an acre, while the adjoining Hampton Inn was built on 3/4 of an acre. Most of those 15 or so attending the meeting were residents of the condominiums already atop the adjoining Hampton Inn. The meeting is required by the city’s planning board.
Greg Kirsch, VP for Opechee said the building will be five stories high, but the overall height will be slightly less than the Hampton Inn, which was finished last August. The top three floors will be dedicated to office space and condominiums with separate entrances for each on each floor. There will be six condominiums on each of three floors for a total of 18 units. They will be more expensive than the units above the Inn because they are larger with more elaborate finishings and have large and outside decks. The entrance to the units will be at 40 India Street.
The first two floors of the brick building will be dedicated to retail space and office space. While no one has yet committed to the office space, the developers are talking to one grocer who might purchase one of the retail units – with an entrance on Middle Street. Not only the condominiums are for sale, but the office space and the retail space is for sale. Sebago Brewery purchased the restaurant space at the Hampton Inn and according to Kirsch it is finding this arrangement less expensive than renting in its former Old Port location. “This is a great opportunity for a small business,” Kersch said.
One hundred seventy parking spaces will be included in Phase 2. It will be parking for the Inn, all condominium units, office and retail space. It does not include parking for the Sebago Brewery Co. Pub, however.
Concerns from the public focused mostly on disrupted traffic in the area during construction and parking for construction workers during construction. Wolgrom said that normally construction occurrs between 7 am and 3:30 pm. However, in order to accommodate hotel guests, construction might occur on weekdays from 8:30 am – 5 pm. Little, if any, Saturday construction is anticipated.
Excellent to see continued interest in improving our city and this neighborhood–one of the more interesting–in particular.