Older adults have started moving into a new 25-unit affordable apartment building in Farmington created by a Portland-based nonprofit.
Avesta Housing recently completed Edgewater Village, a 19,744-square-foot affordable apartment building for people 55 and older, according to the nonprofit. The two-story building on Willow Springs Drive offers 25 one-bedroom apartments, all of which are 535 to 576 square feet and handicap accessible.
The Franklin County development is Avesta Housing’s first affordable housing project for older adults in Farmington. The Portland-based developer operates more than 3,000 affordable units in 100 properties across Maine and New Hampshire, according to the organization’s website.
The development, which is now accepting applications, helps address a need for safe, quality housing for seniors in rural areas of Maine. That need is only expected to grow in the coming years as the state’s population, which is already the oldest in the nation, continues to age.
“It’s no secret that there’s an affordable housing crisis everywhere and in Maine, a lot of times in rural areas the housing stock and population tend to be older,” said Rod Harmon, spokesperson for Avesta Housing. “While there is a greater need as people age for affordable housing, there’s also a shortage of quality housing stock for them.”
Offering a place for older adults to downsize and still live independently — at a price they can afford — could also free up more single-family houses that younger families could move into, Harmon said. This will help chip away at Maine’s housing shortage.
“A lot of people would like to downsize from a house into an apartment, but they can’t find anything that either meets their income requirements or is close to home,” Harmon said. “They’ve worked and lived in the community for decades and they’re reluctant to move.”
Rents for the units will range from $851 to $972 and all utilities, including heat, hot water, electricity and air conditioning, are included in the monthly payments.
To qualify for an apartment in the building, a single person must make no more than $36,300 annually, or $41,520 for a two-person household, according to Avesta Housing. The development also accepts housing vouchers.
The building also offers laundry facilities, onsite parking and a community room on the first floor for people to gather, socialize and hold events, Harmon said. The facility sits next to a pond, has nearby walking trails and downtown Farmington is a short drive away.
The development, which cost roughly $9.5 million to create, was built by Hartland-based E.W. Littlefield & Sons while Kaplan Thompson Architects in Portland designed the space. Construction began in October 2024 and wrapped up last month, according to Harmon.
The organization will hold a ribbon-cutting next week to celebrate the official completion of the project.