Westbrook Housing is purchasing the old Sebago-Moc Co. building and plans to develop it into loft-style condominiums.
The goal is to provide residences for persons in lower income brackets seeking home ownership in a more urban setting, with access to the downtown.
According to Westbrook Housing Executive Director John Gallagher, the organization hopes to close on the building sale some time in mid-April and begin renovation soon after. The project will include an adjacent building known as the Creamery and, together, the two buildings will be referred to as Riverfront Lofts.
Gallagher declined to give the purchase price because Westbrook Housing had not yet closed on the sale of the building.
The development of the site is an important step for the city because it continues a transition toward developing a downtown where people live and work, according to Erik Carson, Westbrook’s economic and community development director. This is particularly true for artists, said Carson, who are continuing to populate the Dana Warp Mill adjacent to the two buildings.
“If this ends up being a live-work situation, particularly for artists, it’s an important transition,” said Carson.
According to Guy Gagnon, Westbrook Housing Development Corp. director, Riverfront Lofts is intended to be the answer to a demand for housing near the downtown for lower-income ranges. From their location near the Dana Warp Mill, owners would have access to the downtown, public transportation, shopping and entertainment. Westbrook Housing Development Corp. is the nonprofit development arm of Westbrook Housing.
Westbrook Housing is expecting to put 44 units in the two buildings, with 39 going into the Sebago-Moc Co. building and another five larger and more expensive units going into the Creamery. The units will range in size from about 550 square feet to 1,100 square feet and in price from between $100,000 and $150,000 in the Sebago-Moc Co. building and $150,000 and $210,000 in the Creamery.
All but one of the units in the Sebago-Moc Co. building will be one- and two-bedroom condominiums, with a second-story loft area serving as the second bedroom in some of the units. One unit will have three bedrooms.
The project was originally the idea of Yarmouth-based Blue Star Corp., the current owner, which received Westbrook Planning Board approval for the project last July. Westbrook Housing will use the same plan that was approved by the planning board.
Blue Star purchased the property last summer from local developer Flannery Properties with the intention of renovating it into condominiums. Westbrook Housing was interested in the property at the time, but made no move to purchase it. According to Gallagher, Westbrook Housing approached the owner after the project received planning board approval.
“From our point, we wanted to be involved from an ownership standpoint so we could ensure it was affordable housing,” said Gallagher.
Where possible, Gallagher said, the units would keep the character of the mill in the style of loft apartments built in recent years in Portland and in larger cities such as Boston. That character would include wood floors, open space and exposed brick.
“We’re going to try to take advantage of the features that we hope people would like,” said Gallagher.
On the outside, what is now an entirely paved area would receive a makeover, with landscaping along the edges of the buildings and spaced among the parking areas, which will provide 66 spaces for owners.
Gallagher said he expects the exterior of the building, which was built by the Sebago-Moc Co. in the 1950s as a factory for producing the company’s hand-sewn leather loafers, will need little work because the brick, roof and windows seem to be in good shape. Most of the renovation will occur inside the buildings.
For the Westbrook Housing Development Corp., this will be the third such condominium project in the city.
In addition to eight projects that the organization has developed since its inception in 1969 that provide rental units for seniors, the disabled and lower-income persons, the organization added two condominium projects in 2006 – Forest Street School and Homestead Village.
The Forest Street School, rehabbed into 12 one- and two-bedroom condos in the $179,000 to $209,000 range last year, has six units available for sale. Homestead Village, a development of 18 townhouses selling for $180,000, has three units still open.
“Westbrook Housing continues to be a strong and successful partner in providing housing for the city,” said Carson.
For the Riverfront Lofts project, Gagnon said, he’s hoping to sell up to a dozen of the units before construction begins. He plans to have some of the units occupied by the end of the summer.
Loft-style condos planned for Sebago-Moc building
Loft-style condos planned for Sebago-Moc building
Loft-style condos planned for Sebago-Moc building
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