Solterra Apartments

Done photo of Solterra apartments from the North, Franklin Towers in the background

58 Boyd Street

Constructed in 2020, Solterra Apartments is a mixed-income, six-story building featuring 23 efficiency, ten (10) one-bedroom, thirteen (13) two-bedroom and nine (9) three-bedroom apartments as well as a community space (“The Harvest Room”) adjacent to the Boyd Street Urban Gardens. Solterra features a rooftop solar array, a community room, free WiFi services for residents, 23 parking spaces, 28 secure indoor bicycle spaces, a laundry room, recycling and trash services, and composting services. 

Solterra not only provides safe, affordable housing, but also provides an indoor environment that is healthy for its residents.   The building is designed with healthy building materials that have low-VOC or no-VOC (harmful chemicals).   There is abundant continuous fresh air to each unit that is pre-heated with a Heat Recovery Ventilation system to save energy.  These features, coupled with a robust services program, including a telehealth program through Greater Portland Health, makes the health of our residents a top priority.  

Solterra Apartments is aptly named for the nearby urban gardens, the building’s solar installation, and the Italian community that was once there, deriving its name from the Italian sole e terra (“sun and earth”).

Portland Housing would like to recognize all of the partners involved in this project, including Construction Manager Wright-Ryan Construction; the design team, which included CWS Architects, Carroll Associates Landscape Architects, Bennett Engineering, Ransom Consulting, Becker Structural, Sparhawk Group Commissioning, S.W. Cole Engineering, Owen Haskell Surveyors, Credere Associates Environmental Engineering; and owner representative Development Services of New England.

Financing for Solterra Apartments included a combination of local, state and federal sources and private investment, including:

  • Maine State Housing Authority (Low Income Housing Tax Credit issuer)
  • City of Portland Affordable Housing Program (Federal HOME funds)
  • Bangor Savings Bank / Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston Affordable Housing Program (grant and subsidized loan)
  • Evernorth / TD Bank (LIHTC equity investor)  
  • Efficiency Maine Trust (Solar Photovoltaic Grant)