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V o l . X X I N o. I I I F e b r ua r y 9 , 2 0 1 5 22 r e a l e s tat e / C o n s t r u C t I o n / d e s I g n F O C U S Consulting in Augusta, who discovered that Hodgkins was the last school built as part of a post-war master plan for the city. On that basis, it was certified for the National Register of Historic Places, and qualified for the same tax credits as the Flatiron building. e Hodgkins project also topped the latest list at Maine State Housing for subsi- dized apartment units. e reasons, Bartlett says, include the comprehensive financing plan, cooperation from the city, and a loca- tion near a variety of services, from health care to groceries. Both projects, Cynthia Taylor says, are close to Bangor Street businesses, and the proximity of the Hannaford store, within a few hundred feet of the Flatiron, is key. "Having access to a grocery store daily helps keep people independent longer, especially when they no longer have their own car," she says. Bus service at both sites will provide links to the new hospital in North Augusta, plus other services around town. Creating a community e Hodgkins conversion will provide 47 apartments, with 20% of the total reserved for homeless veterans, under the agreement with Maine State Housing. e $8.7 million cost works out to $185,000 per unit, significantly less than some projects approved before the recession. Bunker says that, on the surface, costs of such building conversions "may seem pretty expensive," but "there are so many benefits to reusing these old buildings." ey begin with the central location, which typically involves higher prices for any project, and the community cohesion that well-designed housing provides. Says Taylor, "ese are not just buildings where people happen to live. ey create communities, where people can interact as they wish and when they wish. ey provide oppor- tunities you're not going to find in housing that's scattered across the landscape." Bill Bridgeo is happy to have two old schools off the municipal property inventory, and he's even more pleased about how the new uses will strengthen the city's urban core. "Neighborhood compatibility was a big factor with the Hodgkins project," he says. "Houses literally surround the school, so there weren't a lot of uses that would work." Because the senior units require less parking, the city is able to retain the athletic fields attached to the Hodgkins School, and the since- demolished Williams School, as public space. Public amenities at the Flatiron building include a "vest pocket" park on the Stone Street side that will feature a garden space and ornamental trees. Augusta will soon have two new housing projects that would be an asset to any Maine community, with nearly $20 million in investment and several hundred construction jobs. Yet Amanda Bartlett sounds a sobering note in saying that, over the past two years, Augusta has lost 100 rental housing units to fires and condemnations. "Like most Maine cities, we have old housing stock that hasn't been maintained very well," she says. Direct private investment is unlikely to fill the gap, she says. "Developers tell us that the costs of construction can't be recouped in the rents people in the area can afford to pay." Yet aging homeowners from around the region would like to live downtown for all the reasons that the Flatiron and Hodgkins projects are expected to be fully occupied, in short order. Part of the answer, she says, is to try to do a better job of conserving housing, helping landlords with main- tenance through programs designed for that purpose. e federal budget share, which reduced Section 8 vouch- ers sharply after the "sequester" and its aftermath, doesn't seem likely to rebound any time soon, she says. "e need is there," Bartlett says. "We have to be looking for new ways to fill it." D o u g l a s R o o k s , a w r i t e r b a s e d i n We s t G a r d i n e r , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t e d i t o r i a l @ m a i n e b i z . b i z When you need a construction manager to plan, budget and perform, call Laura Blanchette at 207.282.7697 Dollar General — Lee, NH PM Construction — Giving you more bang for your buck! » C o n t I n u e d f ro M p r e v I o u s pa g e these are not just buildings where people happen to live. they create communities, where people can interact as they wish and when they wish. — Developer Cynthia Taylor

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