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Council approves TIF for 72‑unit Soleil affordable housing project in downtown Lewiston
Summary
Lewiston Housing Authority’s Soleil project — a single‑phase, 72‑unit affordable housing building — received council approval to authorize a credit enhancement/TIF that will close an approximately $1.2 million funding gap, allowing developers to move forward on a $31 million project.
The council voted 6–1 to authorize a tax-increment financing credit enhancement to bridge a roughly $1.2 million funding gap for the Soleil multifamily housing project, a 72‑unit downtown development led by Lewiston Housing Authority. Penn Lindsay, director of development for the housing authority, said the project combines nearly $12 million in low‑income housing tax‑credit equity, about $9 million in state tax credits and a $400,000 MaineHousing subsidy to reach a $31 million total budget.
Lindsay said the building will deliver primarily one‑bedroom units (60 one-bed, 12 two-bed) with three ground‑floor commercial spaces; staff stressed the project targets the long waiting lists for one‑ and two‑bedroom subsidized homes (public-housing waiting lists cited at more than 1,600 and Housing Choice Voucher lists near 1,500). Councilors asked about senior mix and economic benefits; supporters highlighted construction‑period job and wage estimates extrapolated from recent local projects. The motion to adopt the order authorizing the administrator to execute the credit enhancement passed 6–1.
