SANFORD — Up until Monday, the last time Herb Littlefield was in the Sanford Mill was in the 1970s. He worked for Eastern Plastics there, making heels for the shoe industry ”“ his first job after his 1961 graduation from Sanford High School.
At that time, the old mill, built in 1915 by the Goodall family, of textile fame, was very much an industrial building.
It isn’t anymore. After an injection of about $11.5 million, the 66,000-square-foot mill now sports 36 apartment units ”“ each unique ”“ plus 22,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor.
Its interior is alive again, after a long time vacant and the very real potential of demolition.
On Monday, there was a grand opening. Littlefield and his wife Connie were among more than 100 people who came for tours to mark the cornerstone of Sanford’s downtown and 7.5-acre historic mill district redevelopment.
“It was a mill then. I never thought it would be revitalized,” said Littlefield. “This is very nice. I never thought it would look like this.”
The mill has undergone a total renovation, from the ground up. The first floor was raised three feet, to be above flood plain, said Josh Benthien of Northland Enterprises, LLC, the developer. Windows ”“ vast ones ”“ were installed, filling the gaps where windows had been removed by the prior owner. A new roof was installed ”“ and so much more that goes into creating living spaces in old mill buildings.
For Kailee Jellison and Jonni Hilton, who work at Saundarya Hair Salon & Day Spa, the first commercial tenant to sign a lease, it is also home. Each have rented an apartment.
“It feels homey, and everything’s so convenient,” said Hilton, noting the downtown location.
“I love the brickwork,” said Jellison.
Both women said the building feels safe and secure.
The redevelopment vision started around 2008. Sanford took the deteriorating mill, citing blight, from the former owner by eminent domain. Meanwhile, Northland Enterprises, LLC was beating the bushes, looking for financing, while Sanford was engaging the federal Environmental Protection Agency for brownsfields funds for assessment and cleanup. During the same timeframe, the municipality, also by eminent domain, took the old wooden Aerofab mill, tore it down and created a parking lot. Then, it sold the mill to Northland and the renovations commenced.
There were some rough periods, particularly with financing, but $3.7 million in Neighborhood Stabilization funds through the federal housing and urban development department helped round out the package that also included state and federal historic tax credits, commercial lending and developer equity.
Eleven of the units require no income restrictions; 17 are reserved for those making 120 percent of the median income in Sanford, which is $64,000 for a single person, and eight units for those making 50 percent of the median. Monthly rents range from $575 to $1,275.
When Commissioner of Economic and Community Development George Gervais first toured the mill before the transformation, everyone was ankle deep in water. But, he said Monday, he got the vision immediately.
“It’s fabulous,” he said, adding the renovation will surely spark other development. “I’m happy to see it.”
On Monday, the place was gleaming and ship shape, from the mellow rose tones of the old, exposed brick to the big windows that offer views from the waterfall to the mill next door. In keeping with the theme of reusing original features, floors in the common area are crafted from long-leaf, yellow pine, milled from 116 old wooden columns removed from the mill during renovations.
“It’s so cool,” said former Town Manager Mark Green, under whose tenure the Sanford Mill project commenced.
Sen. Angus King stopped by on his way back to Washington, D.C. Projects like the Sanford Mill require a plan, a partnership, perseverance and passion, he said.
“Isn’t it really cool?” he said. “This is a wonderful development for this community and an example of what can happen.”
Mayor Maura Herlihy spoke of many Mainers who sought work in the mills, including her great-grandparents, who arrived from Quebec, Canada. Her grandparents lived through the closing of the vast Goodall textile empire, a time that nearly brought the community to its knees, she said.
Herlihy pointed out when the city took the mill, it had “ no windows, no wiring, no plumbing or heating, the floors were warping and the owner had sought a demolition permit.”
“I stand here today excited to see this first building, far underutilized in my lifetime, receiving that new breath of life that will renew and redefine it for the next 100 years of its life,” she said.
“It’s gorgeous,” said City Manager Steve Buck.
By Monday, 32 of the 36 residential units had been leased, said Rex Bell, who owns Northland Enterprises, LLC with Benthien. He pointed out that 80 of the 115 companies that worked on the renovation were from Maine.
“I think everyone’s a winner with this project,” said Bell.
The demand for quality rental housing is growing in Sanford, said Herlihy, who manages Townhouse Properties, a family firm with 50 apartment units. At the moment, there are no vacancies ”“ a contrast from 2010 and 2011, when Herlihy said her vacancy rate was 5.6 and 6.2 percent.
Local developer Lionel Sevigny, who owns a number of apartment units, many in former school buildings he’s renovated, agreed.
“We’re at full occupancy,” he said Monday as he stopped to tour the refurbished mill.
“People are seeking good, quality housing at market rate,” said Herlihy.
She said young people not ready to buy a house, coupled with a growing number of retirees, are fueling the Sanford market.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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