LEWISTON — The city will begin negotiations for the sale of the former Martel Elementary School after the City Council unanimously supported a proposal to redevelop the site into senior housing. Over the last month, elected officials have been mulling three redevelopment proposals, and councilors said Tuesday that they each received overwhelming public feedback in

Maine is getting nearly $1.7 million from NeighborWorks America to support efforts to develop and preserve affordable housing, revitalize and sustain neighborhoods, and create jobs. Sen. Susan Collins said the funding supports local housing organizations as they create “local solutions to community development and affordable housing challenges across Maine.” The funding includes $434,500 for Avesta

LEWISTON — Senior housing, a commercial development or a community hub? Those are the options on the table as the City Council considers which redevelopment proposal is best for the former Martel Elementary School on Lisbon Street. A week before the council is expected to make a decision, officials representing all three proposals pitched their ideas during

Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday signed into law a bill that aims to create 1,00 more affordable housing units in Maine over the next eight years. LD 1645, “An Act to Create Workforce and Senior Housing and Preserve Affordable Housing,” is a bipartisan measure sponsored by Rep. Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford. It went to the governor’s desk

Gov. Janet Mills is expected to sign into law a bill that advocates say could substantially increase the number of affordable housing units built in Maine over the next eight years. The measure would provide the first state-level tax credits to developers building new homes and apartments for poor and elderly Mainers and preserve existing rural housing.

Homelessness is a growing problem around the country, including here in Maine. Portland is currently working through the long and contentious process of building a new emergency shelter where people who are homeless can access services and stay on a night-by-night basis until they are able to move on. But for about 20 percent of the

LEWISTON — City officials will decide the future of the former Martel Elementary School building this month, with three redevelopment offers on the table. The school closed in 2019, and was officially considered city property as of September 2019, when the brand new Conners Elementary opened. Since then, the city has solicited bids for the

The Portland Regional Chamber honored several individuals and groups, including executives at MaineHealth and Avesta Housing, at its annual awards event and community celebration, Imagine Portland, at Thompson’s Point last week. William Caron Jr., CEO of MaineHealth, and Richard Petersen, president of MaineHealth and CEO of Maine Medical Center, were both presented with the chamber’s

One of the louder and longer periods of sustained applause at Gov. Janet Mills’ state of the state address Tuesday night was when she called for more affordable housing support. Specifically, she cited the Maine Affordable Housing Tax Credit, sponsored by Assistant House Majority Leader Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, which Mills said would create nearly 1,000 additional affordable homes over

PORTLAND — If Avesta Housing decides to build a facility on Brighton Avenue for homeless people 55 and older, it will be “just one piece of the puzzle” in assisting chronically homeless seniors in Portland, says Norman Maze. “This is a population that is really in need of services. This kind of triage center and