"BAR HARBOR — Ground was broken this Tuesday at the site of the Northeast Creek workforce housing development. The $8-million project will probably take nearly two years to complete, but the first homeowners should begin moving in this winter, said Bar Harbor Housing Authority Executive Director Terry Kelley.
Eight houses are due to be completed this year by Bowman Brothers, Inc. construction company of Newport, and should be in move-in condition six or seven months from now, Mr. Kelley said. Depending on the weather, the construction firm will work straight through the winter or take a break and start up again in the spring.
All of the site work on the property should be done within the next several months, Mr. Kelley said. Harold MacQuinn, Inc. of Hancock and Hulls Cove has been contracted to construct all of the roads, foundations, water line, and septic fields. According to the contract, the company has until November to finish the job, Mr. Kelley said.
Nearly two dozen families are signed up for the housing project, the goal of which is to provide homes to moderate-income families and individuals who work on Mount Desert Island. The prices of the houses are expected to start around $160,000.
Space is still available, Mr. Kelley said. Applicants must earn less than $70,000 per year to qualify, be eligible for pre-approval for bank financing, and have at least one person in the household working on Mount Desert Island. Mr. Kelley encouraged anyone interested to get in touch with the housing authority.
The Northeast Creek workforce housing development will consist of 31 small, energy efficient homes, clustered on six acres of land off the Knox Road in Town Hill. Over 60 surrounding acres will be left as open, recreational space.
Some of the houses will be “walk to,” and served by a common parking area, while others will have traditional driveways.
The development will be accessed by a new road off of Sandy Lane, which connects to the Knox Road in Town Hill.
Voters in June authorized the town to float a bond of up to $1 million to subsidize the cost of road construction and other infrastructure improvements on the site. Mr. Kelley has since stated that the housing authority will need to borrow only $280,000 to complete the project.
In order to make up the difference in funding needs, three of the 31 homes to be constructed will be sold at market rate, Mr. Kelley said.
Construction on the project could not start immediately after the planning board approved it in February because a permit from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection was necessary. The DEP permit was issued last Friday."
by
mshook
2007-08-03 20:04
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