Developer proposes senior housing in Old Orchard Beach

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The developer behind a proposed project that would bring 55 senior apartments to Portland Avenue anticipates construction will begin next year.

The Szanton Company is seeking necessary approvals for, Milliken Heights, an apartment building with 55 units, at 36 Portland Ave. on a parcel behind the Old Orchard Beach Funeral Home. The funeral home building remains on a separate lot and is not part of the project, said Development Officer Kristin Martin on a remotely held public meeting hosted by The Szanton Company on Monday night.

All the apartments would be about 600 square feet and will have one bedroom, said Martin. About 13 of the apartments will be market-rate apartments, with monthly rent between $1,250 and $1,350. About 42 of the apartments will be rented out for $1,040 a month and be reserved for households with no more than 60 percent of the area median income. A single person with an annual income of less than $39,000 would be eligible for the reduced-rate apartment, said Martin.

Rent would include hot water, wifi, onsite fitness center and one parking space, said Martin. In total, the parking lot at Milliken Heights would have 60 parking spaces – 55 for residents and five for guests, said Martin.

The proposed building will be designed with energy efficient features like triple-glaze windows and will have heat pumps that will lower heating costs and keep the building cool in the summer, said Martin.

The proposed building will be on one acre of a four-acre lot, said Martin. The remaining three acres are wooded wetland and will remain untouched.

“There will be no potential for development there. That will stay the way it is,” said Martin.

The proposed building site is on local bus lines and close to the local grocery store and other shops as well as downtown, said Developer Nathan Szanton.

“We love the location of this property,” he said.

The proposed project has been discussed at a Planning Board workshop but has yet to get all necessary planning board approvals, said Martin.

Szanton is seeking low income housing tax credits, and must also submit an application to Maine Housing, said Martin.

She said The Szanton Company hopes to begin construction on Milliken Heights in early 2021 and have the building open for potential residents in spring of 2022.