A 120-unit residential development is being proposed in Scarborough Courtesy photo
SCARBOROUGH — A plan for 10, 12-unit apartment buildings was recently presented to the Scarborough Planning Board. Although if it is still in the preliminary stages, if built, AR Development Co. would build 120 one- and two-bedroom luxury units on a parcel located at Gorham and Mussey roads.
AR Development President Jason Kambitsis told the Planning Board which reviewed the sketch plan on Feb. 22 that units to be built on the 57-acre parcel would range in size from 750 to 1,100 square feet, include stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and other amenities.
The three-floor buildings “are going to feel like large homes,” he said, adding “we like to make them architecturally interesting.”
Few other details about what the actual units would contain were released at this stage in the planning process.
Kambitsis did say that the property would be built and owned by AR Development, which is the business model followed by the Rhode Island-based company, which owns about 9,000 units, mainly in the Northeast.
“We build and hold,” he said. “Since we own them, it behooves us to get us right.”
If approved the 10 building multi-family development would be build on a 57-acre parcel at Mussey and Gorham Roads. Courtesy photo
Kambitsis noted the project would be built over several years, in part because of Scarborough’s growth management ordinance which caps the number of residential units that can be built in a given year.
The company is also looking to build properties in Brunswick and Auburn, he said, and plans to open an office in Maine.
The property is on public sewer and water, said Brandon Carr with DiPrete Engineering, on behalf of the developer. It would have 218 parking spots, with electrical charging ability for about 40 percent of the spaces, and would contain a clubhouse on the lot. There would be entrances on both Mussey Road and Gorham Road.
Planning Board member Roger Beeley said he was pleased the property was to be located in a village center with a number of nearby businesses.
“This is the village center area and this development could really enhance that area,” he said. “I think that could be a real stimulator for that whole area.”
Beeley asked Kambitsis why the company chose to build in Scarborough.
“If you look at our portfolio, we like this kind of community and this kind of development,” Kambitsis said.
The community “has a lot going for it,” he said.
Some members of the Planning Board and others did voice some concerns about the property,
Planning Board Chair Rachel Hendrickson said she was concerned about pedestrian safety, both for people walking in the area at night, which is very dark, as well as kids crossing the street in the daytime to the elementary school located across the street.
She suggested developers use an entrance on Gorham Road as the main entrance as it has a traffic signal. “It would solve a lot of problems, ” she said “and provides more access to amenities on that road.”
Overall, Hendrickson spoke in favor of the proposed development.
“I think this holds a great deal of promise for the area,” she said. “And it can in some respects both finish off that corner of the town, … giving much more of a sense of a town development. … It holds a great deal of importance to the town and is going to be a great addition to that area.”
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