Major Site Plan and Amended Subdivision Application – The Lofts on Cumberland
Lot 3, 385 Congress Street Subdivision (244 Cumberland Avenue)
On behalf of Lincoln Avenue Capital Northeast Developer, LLC, (Applicant), an affiliate of Lincoln Avenue Communities, a mission-driven affordable housing developer, we are pleased to submit the enclosed application for a Major Site Plan and Amended Subdivision Application for a proposed 55-unit, age-restricted (55+) affordable housing development at Lot 3, of the 385 Congress Street Subdivision. A Master Plan of Development (MDP) was approved by the Planning Board on August 9, 2022, for the overall master planned site bounded by Congress Street, Myrtle Street, Cumberland Avenue, and Pearl Street. This attached application involves a reconfiguration of Lots 2 and 3 and the development of a portion of Lot 3, land currently identified on the City’s parcel mapping as a portion Tax Map 27 Lot D003 with a street address of 365 Congress Street.
The applicant, Lincoln Avenue Capital Northeast Developer, LLC, has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire a portion of Lot 3, an approximately 19,570 sf area of land at the corner of Myrtle Street and Cumberland Avenue for the development of an age-restricted (55+) residential building. The applicant is pursuing financing for the project through the utilization of state funding for Tax-Exempt Bonds, 4% or 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and capital subsidy funds through MaineHousing.
The subject site comprises 0.45 acres (19,570 sf) subdivided as part of the Master Plan process from a larger 2.26-acre parcel that occupied the city block bounded by Congress Street, Myrtle Street, Cumberland Avenue and Pearl Street. The site is fully developed with a surface parking lot and is used as a private parking facility. A portion of the site is occupied by the former Press Herald printing building.
In February 2022, the Planning Board approved a Major Site Plan for a Hotel on Lot 1 of the subdivision, abutting the project site to the east. The current landowner of the project site and the property to the north and northeast identified as Lots 2 and 3, 385 Congress Street, LLC, will retain the revised Lot 2 for the future development envisioned in the Master Plan of Development.
385 Congress Street, LLC is working collaboratively with the applicant in the purchase agreement such that the affordable housing units created by the Lofts on Cumberland project may be used to meet some or all of the Inclusionary Zoning requirements for the future market-rate residential development of the remaining land. The Lot 3 property is being sold to the applicant at a below market rate so that the project will be affordable.
The project is proposed as a condominium. The affordable housing condominium will encompass the proposed affordable housing units and associated building systems and amenity space, the parking levels will constitute a separate condominium unit which are to be acquired by 385 Congress, LLC upon building occupancy.
The massing of the affordable housing project is consistent with the approved MDP for the site to create a cohesive design, scale, and massing with both the approved hotel project to the east and the anticipated future residential condominiums to the north and northeast as they are envisioned in the MDP. The Lot 3 building is proposed as a 7-story structure comprised of a 2-story podium activated at street level with entrances to residential amenities and supporting uses including fitness areas, community spaces, and office/administrative spaces; with the affordable housing units located in a 5-story tower rising from the podium. The overall building height is reduced, at 7 stories, compared to the 13 stories envisioned in the MDP.
The proposed development program includes a mix of one- and two-bedroom age-restricted residential units. The ground level (Level 0) will be comprised of the lobby, building amenities, and parking garage with driveway access and entrances on Cumberland Avenue. The Level 1 floor above will be comprised of a parking level. Consistent with MDP, the parking decks are not interconnected. The Level 1 level parking will be built out, but only accessed by vehicles when the future residential condominiums on the remaining subdivision land are developed as part of the MDP.
Parking
As an age-restricted affordable housing project, there is no ordinance-required parking. The proposed parking levels will, however, provide a total of 63 parking spaces (26 on Level 0 and 37 on Level 1). Per the purchase agreement, 385 Congress, LLC will acquire the parking area as a condominium unit.
Traffic
A Traffic Movement Permit was issued for the Master Development Plan on February 24, 2023. The conditions of the TMP outlined certain traffic improvements to be constructed at various milestones in the phased build-out of the MDP.
Included in the application is a memorandum requesting language revisions to the TMP conditions reflecting a revised sequence of construction; anticipating that the proposed affordable housing project may be constructed as the first phase of construction, rather than the third phase envisioned in the MDP. There is no request to alter or reduce the offsite improvements required by the TMP, simply to clarify the improvements that are to be constructed as part of the Affordable Housing project phase.
The memorandum includes an analysis documenting the reduced traffic demand of the Lofts on Cumberland project due to a reduction of the total number of residential units now proposed, and the reduced traffic generated by age-restricted affordable housing units compared to market rate units. This analysis does not seek to reduce the permitted number of trips for the MDP but is provided to demonstrate that placing the level 0 parking entrance on Cumberland Avenue does not significantly alter the TMP analysis, which assumed a Level 0 entrance on Pearl Street.
Building Design
The building is arranged in a classic 3-part composition – base, middle, and top. The base has a limestone and brick finish to conform to the predominant limestone of adjacent buildings. The middle and top of the elevation is a mix of Hardie lap siding and panels in several complementing palettes.
The building lobby entrance on Cumberland Avenue is designed with differentiated materials and a canopy above. This entry is fully accessible.
The streetscape design incorporates street trees in planters along the curb line. The planting design and materials present a cohesive design for the space.
Amenity Deck
Consistent with MDP, the project will feature private outdoor amenity space on the rooftop of the two-level podium. This space is designed to allow for a connection to the future public amenity space at this level envisioned in the MDP and to be constructed as part of the Lot 1 Hotel site plan approval.
Consistent with the MDP this building’ amenity space will be private, for the use of the affordable housing project residents and guests. This private component is consistent with the MDP design. It is necessary to keep this area as a private (not public) space for the construction cost to be eligible for Maine Housing financing and tax credits. It is also necessary so that the affordable housing project will meet the City’s inclusionary zoning requirements that require similar amenities to be provided for market rate and affordable units. The market rate units envisioned in the future phases will have access to similar private amenity spaces.
