About the Project
In 2015 Portland Housing Authority (PHA) completed its Strategic Vision Plan for all of its 1,000 units of public housing. PHA has various sites in Portland with under-utilized land and parking lots, and Bayside Anchor was just such a parking lot. Bayside Anchor created a unique partnership between Avesta Housing and the Portland Housing Authority that saw this project as a catalyst for future re-development and re-imagining of hundreds of units of public housing in East Bayside.
This project was launched as a winner in a 2013 national competition by Enterprise and Deutche Bank called “Lowering the Cost of Housing.” It was built for the very low cost of $149 per square foot, achieving the maximum affordability points under the State of Maine scoring system.
Bayside Anchor is a service hub for low-income residents in East Bayside, giving the project its name as a stabilizing “anchor” for the community. The Portland Housing Authority’s local property management offices were relocated into the first floor of Bayside Anchor, along with a Headstart pre-school and the East Bayside Community Policing Office.
Bayside Anchor was built to Passive House standards and received PHIUS+ certification. Combining the very low cost target with the ambitious goal of Passive House certification drove the development team to a construction management process and an extremely deep dive into construction details and value engineering.
Property Information
Size:
- 45 efficiency, 1-bedroom, and 2- bedroom apartments
- 36 affordable units; 9 market rate units
Target Population:
- Individuals and families
- 40%, 50%, 60% area median income for affordable units
Rent:
- $540-$1,041
- Nine units are subsidized by Portland Housing Authority – residents in these units pay approximately 30% of their income for rent.
Sustainable Features:
- Passive House ultra-low-energy building principles of plentiful fresh air, passive solar design, superinsulation and airtightness
- High efficiency heating system
- Storm water collection
- Community garden
- PV solar electric panels to meet the building’s energy needs
Development Information
Development Team:
Developers Portland Housing Authority and Avesta Housing, Portland
Architect Kaplan Thompson Architects, Portland
General Contractor Wright-Ryan Construction, Portland
Structural Engineer Becker Structural Engineers, Portland
Mechanical APEX Engineering, Falmouth
Site Civil Engineer Ransom Consulting, Portland
Geotechnical Summit Geoengineering Services, Rockland
Legal Drummond Woodsum/Curtis Thaxter, Portland
Accountant Otis Atwell, Portland
Funding:
- Bangor Savings – construction loan
- Boston Capital – Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
- MaineHousing – loan
- MaineHousing – subsidy
- City of Portland – HOME funds
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