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Community Housing in Maine proposes 10‑unit affordable building at 48 Waterville Road
Summary
Community Housing in Maine (CHAM), with Acorn Engineering, presented plans to redevelop 48 Waterville Road into a 10‑unit, energy‑efficient multifamily building with a rain garden for stormwater treatment, 11 parking stalls and an evergreen buffer; the Planning Board asked about accessibility, sprinklers, utilities and sidewalks and requested a full application.
Community Housing in Maine (CHAM) proposed a 10‑unit affordable housing development for 48 Waterville Road during the Planning Board meeting, presenting a site plan that the applicant said would replace two vacant multifamily buildings with a new, energy‑efficient structure and associated site work.
"We're excited by the opportunity to bring 10 new units of, new construction, quality affordable housing to, your community," said Bridal Case, development director for Community Housing in Maine (CHAM), introducing the project and team. Nate Holt, civil engineer for Acorn Engineering, described the parcel as just under a half‑acre and said the proposal includes 11 paved parking stalls, dark‑sky‑compliant lighting, an evergreen buffer on the eastern and western property lines and new utility services.
Holt told the board the plan proposes a rain garden to collect and treat runoff from the parking area and to slow peak flows before they enter the town's MS4 system. "This has been designed to collect the entire parking area...and it will not only provide treatment and water quality benefits, but it'll also slow the peak rate of runoff," Holt said.
Board members asked detailed questions about building systems and resident amenities. Project architect Ryan Senator described the floor plan: two one‑bedroom units and common program space on the first floor, and four two‑bedroom units on each upper floor for a total of 10 units. Senator confirmed that the building will have interior insulation for sound separation and that a sprinkler system will be required.
Applicants said mechanical systems are still being finalized but noted natural gas is on the street and that they are considering heat pumps; they also plan accessible units on the ground floor. The developers said they anticipate submitting a full application at the next meeting and aim to break ground in the fall if approvals proceed on schedule.
The board asked the applicant to coordinate with the fire department and other utilities; Holt said the team would send letters to those departments. Staff noted parking calculations had been prepared to exceed a recently enacted state statute limiting municipal parking requirements (LD 247) in certain growth zones, and the applicants said they are comfortable with the proposed ratio.
The meeting record shows no formal vote on the site plan at this session; the board requested the full application be filed for formal review and staff evaluation.
Next steps: applicants expect to file a full application with the planning office for the board's review at a future meeting; staff will check that required department comments (fire, sewer) are solicited before formal action.
