Another affordable housing is in the works in Brunswick.
Cheryl Golek. Courtesy photo
Democratic state Rep. Cheryl Golek, a Harpswell resident who represents that town and part of Brunswick, is planning a 14-unit apartment building on a half-acre she owns on Thomas Point Road near Cumberland Farms in Cook’s Corner. Plans call for a two-story, 10,080-square-foot building with two-bedroom units and a parking lot in the rear.
The Planning Board on Tuesday approved a preliminary sketch plan for the project, though the development needs additional approvals from the board before construction can begin.
Golek, who grew up in Cook’s Corner, said rent will be affordable for low-income individuals, though she said she’s still working out details like the exact cost of rent and a construction timeline.
“I have dreamed of doing this for 20 years,” she said. “I’m passionate about housing. I believe housing should be a human right.
“Our state is in the middle of a housing crisis and I want to be part of the solution.”
The project takes advantage of a new state law that allows an affordable housing development to include 2.5 times more units than is normally allowed in some areas of a community. Golek plans to attempt to finance the project through MaineHousing’s Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program, which provides up to $3.3 million in forgivable loans for new housing developments that are affordable to people making up to 80% of the region’s median income. The project is also eligible for a grant through Brunswick’s new Affordable Housing Support Fund.
Golek said she couldn’t provide an estimate on the project’s total cost.
“I’m committed to making sure it’s real, affordable housing,” she said.
Planning Board member Alison Harris said the plans are encouraging.
“I’m pleased that there’s going to be more affordable housing and I look forward to seeing the final plans,” she said.
The apartment building is the latest affordable housing development in the works in Brunswick. The Planning Board earlier this month approved a 39-unit development on McKeen Street that will offer $325,000 homes and apartments starting at $1,400 a month. And Portland-based Developers Collaborative is building a five-unit affordable housing development in the old fire station downtown.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.