On Dec. 10, Developers Collaborative, a Portland-based housing development company, will hold a grand opening of Congress Square Commons, a new multifamily housing development in Belfast featuring 48 mixed-income rental apartments.

The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m., with community leaders and project partners in attendance. Members of the community are invited to be part of the celebration and explore the new project through guided tours.

“We’re thrilled to present Congress Square Commons to the community and acknowledge the contributions of all those involved in making this development a reality," said Laura Reading, Director of Affordable Housing at Developers Collaborative, said in a news release. "By providing safe, stable homes, we create environments where individuals and families can flourish, physically, mentally, and emotionally.”

Congress Square Commons is a reuse of the former site of Belfast Public Works and was developed in partnership with the City of Belfast. The City supported creation of an Affordable Housing Tax Increment Financing District and secured funding from the Community Development Block Grant Housing Assistance Program. 

The five new construction buildings are centered around a common green space with a natural playground and feature rooftop solar panels generating an estimated 175 MWH per year. There is a community room, with a kitchenette and laundry room, opening out to the green space and four designated covered areas for bike and stroller storage. The townhouse style one-, two- and three-bedroom units feature an exterior entrance and a private backyard. 

Twelve of the units are workforce housing rented to households earning 80% AMI and 36 units are affordable, with at least 60% of the units rented to households earning 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) or less and the remaining units rented to households earning 60% AMI or less.

Of the 36 units, there are 16 one-bedroom units that are approximately 690 square feet (SF), 12 two-bedroom units that range from 820 to 840 SF, and eight three-bedroom units that are approximately 1,120 SF. 

Approximately half a mile from downtown Belfast, residents have access to amenities such as the Belfast City Free Library, Belfast Co-op, USPS, and banks. The site is within half a mile of Pierce Elementary School.

Penobscot General Contractors was the general contractor for the project, Archetype Architects was the project architect, Terradyn was the project engineer, and Aceto Landscape Architects was the landscape architect.

Developers Collaborative is based in Portland.

Maine State Housing Authority, Evernorth, the City of Belfast and the CDBG Housing Assistance Program, and NBT Bank provided financing for the project. 

Congress Square Commons is now accepting applications. For more information, contact C&C Realty Management at 207-621-7700 or info@ccrealtymanagement.com.