Front Street East

36 West Presumpscot Street Front Street East Kitchen

Originally constructed in 1971, the Front Street community was initially conceived as temporary housing when hundreds of households were relocated during Portland’s Urban Renewal era. The original project was built on a former City dump, now cleaned up with local, State and Federal Brownfields funding. More than 50 years later it was acknowledged that the buildings were in very poor condition and needed demolition and redevelopment. Portland Housing Development Corporation (PHDC) redeveloped Front Street East (Phase 1) into 60 units of affordable housing in an array of four low-rise buildings along two blocks in the East Deering neighborhood next to Payson Park. 

The goal was to preserve and create additional housing while still accommodating the families that had lived in public housing, including large families of up to 10 members. This is incredibly significant, especially in Portland, as there are very few low-income housing developments that can accommodate large families. Bedroom sizes range from one-bedroom to five-bedroom.  East Deering is a desirable location in Portland and the design integrates beautifully into the existing neighborhood. An east-west pedestrian corridor connects Phase 1 and Phase 2, with a community center and residential support spaces anchoring the center of the site. Both phases are extremely energy efficient and PHIUS+ Core certified through the Passive House Institute US.

Portland Housing would like to recognize the partners involved in this project, including Construction Manager Zachau Construction; the design team, which included Utile Architecture, Carroll Associates Landscape Architects, Petersen Engineering, Ransom Consulting, Thornton Tomasetti Structural, Sparhawk Group Commissioning, S.W. Cole Engineering, Owen Haskell Surveyors, Sevee Maher Associates Environmental Engineering; and owner representative Development Services of New England.

Financing for Front Street East 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 (Housing Trust Fund and Federal HOME funds)
  • RBC Capital Markets (LIHTC equity & Zero Energy Ready Home Credits)
  • Bath Savings  - Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston Member (AHP funds)