PORTLAND — Avesta Housing has scaled down its proposal for an affordable housing condominium project at the former Marada Adams School on Munjoy Hill.

The project now calls for 16 townhouse-style two- and three-bedroom condominiums along the Vesper Street side of the property, and is significantly smaller than an initial proposal in 2008 to build 40 condo units. That plan included several one-bedroom units.

Avesta said the smaller units were eliminated from the project this year after it was determined there were a large number of one-bedroom units already on the market.

In May, the City Council approved $1.71 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Funds to support the redevelopment project. The total project costs are estimated to be $5.5 million.

“We anticipate being able to pay for the whole project with the sale of the condos and the Neighborhood Stabilization Funds,” Avesta’s Ethan Boxer-Macomber said.

He said the stabilization funds will be used specifically for demolition of the existing school building and construction of the new condos.

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The condo units will be sold to income-eligible buyers at prices ranging from $185,000 to $235,000 for the two-bedroom units and $220,000 to $265,000 for the three-bedroom units. Boxer-Macomber said Avesta plans to accept sales reservations in the spring and anticipates the units will sell very quickly.

The project will also include a public playground in the current playground space and a bicycle and walking path connecting O’Brion and Beckett streets.

Avesta was scheduled to present the project to the Planning Board during a workshop late Tuesday.

Boxer-Macomber said the plan is to complete the Planning board and permitting approval process by February and begin construction in late spring.

Emily Parkhurst can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or eparkhurst@theforecaster.net


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