Brunswick Development

Please correct me if I'm wrong because maybe the state had nothing to do with this......but didn't they open a "Taj Mahal" home for veterans in Augusta a few years ago?

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This is not meant to disparage veterans or the need for more housing.....but I hate it when media outlets don't tell the entire story.

Also....has Maine REALLY welcomed 75K asylum seekers in the past decade? Can they send some to Central Maine (Augusta/Waterville) so they can keep businesses open more than 4 hours a day?
 
mainejeff said:
Please correct me if I'm wrong because maybe the state had nothing to do with this......but didn't they open a "Taj Mahal" home for veterans in Augusta a few years ago?

www.facebook.com

Maine Veterans' Homes - Augusta | Augusta ME

Maine Veterans' Homes - Augusta, Augusta. 2,783 likes · 63 talking about this · 1,871 were here. Award winning longterm care, skilled nursing, residential care and rehabilitation Home for Maine...
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

This is not meant to disparage veterans or the need for more housing.....but I hate it when media outlets don't tell the entire story.

Also....has Maine REALLY welcomed 75K asylum seekers in the past decade? Can they send some to Central Maine (Augusta/Waterville) so they can keep businesses open more than 4 hours a day?
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Anything the Daily Mail reports should be looked upon with more than a little skepticism, if it should be looked at at all.
I believe Janet Mills is also referring to welcoming 75k new migrants in the next decade. Frankly, that is probably what it will take to keep the Maine economy from tanking. As Maine is the oldest state in the nation and more of us are aging out of the workforce every day, the situation does not look good. We also need to be trying to develop new industries to attract talented professionals to other regions of Maine other than Portland which I think is going to continue to develop basically into a bedroom community of Boston.
 
PlantArch said:
Portland which I think is going to continue to develop basically into a bedroom community of Boston.
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Will never happen in my opinion. Distance of 108 miles makes it geographically unrealistic especially with Portland having its own CSA and MSA and being the transportation, economic and medical hub for southern Maine and beyond. Worcester, Providence and Manchester would have to be swallowed up first and all three of those cities are defiantly independent. In fairness, I also don't believe Lewiston would ever be considered a bedroom community of Portland and it's only 40 miles away and surely depends on Portland more than we depend on Boston.
 
I guess the definition of a bedroom community is that you have to come out of it (Portland) to use the living room (Boston). How often do Mainers, or in Southern Maine need to go to Boston? It's really only to attend pro sports games and top concerts, or Logan for international flights. Maine Medical Center can compete with any of the hospitals in Boston now. Education? Somewhat, though a degree from Bowdoin, Bates, or Colby or even UMO in engineering or agriculture is up near the top. I do know that there are people who live in Wells who commute daily into Boston. But that can still be almost a two-hour ride, though many who work in Manhattan live in outlying areas with up to two-hour commutes. But for social activities anyone living in Southern Maine should be primarily headed to Portland. Although, Boston is becoming the tech center for the world now. If you look at what is being built in the Seaport District and in Cambridge around MIT from who will be in the new offices and labs, you will agree. Tech and big Pharma is growing in a big way here. Amazon has two new large office towers with its top talent for cloud computing, robotics, and A.I. here or on the way. They want to pull students from Harvard and MIT. Some or many of Google and Boeing's top talent are now across the street from MIT. It's an easy internship commute. If you follow the Boston arch blogs you can get the information. Now if you work primarily at home and your employer is in Boston, then yes, Portland would be the better place to live, or if you want better options for outdoor recreation and a less stressful family life. But there is the North End. Almost worth it for that alone.
 
TC_zoid said:
Maine Medical Center can compete with any of the hospitals in Boston now
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Ha ha – this is not true. Nobody's flying across the globe to get treatment at Maine Med the way people fly to MGH.

No offense to MMC – several of my family members work there, and they would absolutely agree with this – but if you've got a serious cancer diagnosis and the world's best doctors are just 2 hours away, you're gonna travel to Boston.

But going back on-topic – my job is based in Boston and I regularly make the commute on Concord Coach, usually once a week for a day trip or an overnight. Remote and hybrid WFH schedules make this commute much easier for a lot more people. Before the pandemic I'd see the 6:30 or 7:30 am bus packed with regular daily commuters; now, the buses are back to running their same pre-pandemic schedule, and the 8:30 bus I typically ride is just as full.

So for a lot of white-collar workers who only need to be in the office 1-2 days a week, Portland absolutely can be a bedroom community for Boston. Spending 4 hours a week riding on a comfortable bus with wi-fi is way more appealing than spending 5+ hours a week driving in a daily commute between Portland and Windham or Standish.

Incidentially, this is part of the reason why Portland's housing prices have been going crazy since the pandemic. Boston's rents now rival San Francisco's, so having so many Boston-based workers looking for apartments here (with a much smaller inventory available) means that our rents are getting bid up to similar levels.
 
Construction has begun at the southeast corner of Admiral Fitch and Admiral Rich, also known as Anchor Drive. It was a long time coming as 4 4-story buildings containing 64 units were approved for the site in late 2022. This site is across the street from the building seen in post #68 of this thread.

Architecturally these are more of the same (bland) but their placement on the lot is an improvement. Parking is kept in the rear and the buildings have a minimal setback from the sidewalk. Like other homes in the area, residents will have an easy walk to Hannaford, Wild Oats, Flight Deck Brewing, wooded trails, a community college and dozens of different employers on the old airbase and surrounding neighborhood.




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The building first described in post 56, The Sandpiper, looks good. Undoubtedly the nicest multifamily constructed on the old airbase. The last picture of it features the buildings described in post 86 under construction in the foreground.
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I mentioned in post 68 that Enterprise was being extended to Forrestal. Would have preferred to see row homes or duplexes built but they opted for single family homes.
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Love these new bike racks outside of the Brunswick train station. The covered bike parking is often full so more racks are important but tying it into the space by using the station code really takes it to the next level.
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Another 96 units housed in 4 buildings are proposed at the old airbase. The developers have reoriented one building already to create more of a street wall and I’m hoping that they’ll accommodate requests to reorient another. Having the bulk of Building 1 front on Neptune would be an improvement. Currently, the overall layout creates a sea of parking and a deeply suburban feel.

I like that they’ve proposed a sidewalk running through the development from Neptune to Admiral Fitch and I hope they’ll respond positively to the Town’s request that the path be widened from 5 to 8 feet.

The design of the buildings is underwhelming but consistent with much of what’s been built in the area. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m of the mind that site layout is more important than the architecture of any single building. It’s a shame we’re left wanting on both counts.



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Tom Nevers said:
The Planning Board recently approved, “an 18-unit multi-family structure along with 21 two-bedroom standalone homes.“ The project is notable for three reasons.

1) The project has a unique layout. From the Planning Board packet, “the 21 two-bedroom homes are arranged in pocket neighborhood where parking is provided in two parking lots adjacent to the easily walkable layout of the structures. Access is provided from the parking lot to each unit via 8- to 12-foot-wide paved sidewalks…”

2)The project is taking advantage of density bonuses related to affordability and “the entirety of the 18-unit building and 2 of the 21 homes will be rented at affordable to moderate income levels as determined by the Town of Brunswick.”

3) The homes have a pleasant design that is uncommon in the area though the apartment building leaves something to be desired.

If built, residents would have about a 1.2 mile walk to downtown.
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The homes are constructed and buyers have moved in to several of them. They look good though the layout might present some challenges. Construction on the apartment building has yet to begin.



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Tom, any idea of the square footage and price point for these units?
 
Walked across the new bridge connecting Brunswick and Topsham this morning. It’s mostly open though the sidewalk on the east side is still under construction. Having sidewalks on both sides of the bridge will be a nice improvement. Enhancing public spaces along the water is also within the scope of the project but has yet to be completed. Reportedly, some of the old bridge will be retained for a large sculpture in Brunswick.
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Brunswick published an RFP today seeking developers interested in purchasing and developing the Hawthorne School. Housing is the preferred outcome.

It’s an attractive building designed by Felix A. Burton, a Bowdoin grad who designed several buildings downtown and on Bowdoin’s campus. The lot is sizable and could accommodate an additional structure.

I’ve toured the building and believe it could comfortably house 12 residential units. Eager to see what’s proposed!


Cc’ing @Redfern in case you’re interested in venturing up the coast!


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