A new 15-member commission will meet for the first time this week to begin studying how local land-use and zoning laws may prevent affordable housing development in Maine communities. The Commission to Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Zoning and Land Use Restrictions was created with the passage of a bill sponsored by House Speaker Ryan
Rebecca Hatfield joined Avesta in 2015 as an assets and acquisitions officer. She was promoted to director of real estate development in 2017 and in 2019 took on her current role as senior vice president of real estate. In this position, she oversees Avesta’s real estate development and property management divisions with more than 100
At each of our properties, Avesta Housing strives to create an environment that serves the needs of its residents and the neighborhood in which they live. This includes providing activities and amenities that promote physical activity, team bonding and community good will. Two of our communities, Hyacinth Place and Steeple Square in Westbrook, Maine, have
As the real estate market in Maine continues to break sales records, the availability of affordable housing is becoming extremely scarce. This is especially evident in downtown Portland, where skyrocketing home prices and rent threaten to displace the city’s working class. Deering Place Apartments, Avesta Housing’s latest development in Portland, is providing hope for these
Now that leaders in Augusta and Washington have responded, we must design programs that help the people who need it the most. Over the past several decades, the lack of affordable rental housing throughout Maine and the United States has taken on such a level of intractability and pervasiveness that it has come perilously close
PORTLAND, Maine — Housing advocates say low-wage earners looking for an affordable place to live are often becoming “desperate.” The federal moratorium on evictions, intended to protect struggling renters during the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to expire at the end of July. Dana Totman, Director of Avesta Housing which creates and runs affordable housing units,
PORTLAND, Maine — Two Maine nonprofits are joining forces to help make sure young adults with intellectual disabilities don’t fall victim to the affordable housing crunch. Siobhan Gile settled in to her new studio apartment at 61 Deering St. on Friday. Gile said having her own place allows her to hop on the bus to
York County’s housing affordability crunch is even more extreme and progressing more rapidly than for the state overall, according to a new report from the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission. Home prices continue to rise, but incomes have not kept pace, according to the report. From 2015-19, York County’s median income increased by 13.5%, while median home
If you’re looking for an affordable place to live, three new apartment buildings in greater Portland are opening soon. Most of the units are being set aside for Mainers who work in greater Portland but can’t afford to live there. Deering Place, Thornton Heights Commons and The West End Apartments are three new apartment buildings
SCARBOROUGH — Development at the former public safety building site on 246 U.S. Route 1 will include affordable senior housing after the Scarborough Town Council voted to approve an agreement with Avesta Housing on June 30. The project, a 31-unit senior affordable housing complex, will be a part of a village-like setting that developers told
