ROCKLAND — As long as Caleb Lincoln continues to have the approval of the City of Rockland, and as long as he is able to win an upcoming competitive round of Maine Affordable Housing grants, construction could begin in a year or so for his proposed division of houses on Rockland Street.

City Councilors will vote in July on option agreements to present to Lincoln in response to his housing proposal for a former junkyard site on Rockland Street.

Lincoln is also the developer for an 18-unit affordable housing complex at Madelyn Lane, in Rockport, and a 9-unit project for affordable apartments on the upper floors of 408 Main Street in Rockland. Yet, when asked directly if he felt he could handle the capacity of three different projects at once, he responded confidently.

Lincoln said he has a partner, and does not feel out of capacity.

“Though it seems like a pretty big undertaking, it’s not that onerous of a task,” he said. “We’re doing pre-set modular design on a flat lot. Capacity doesn’t really bother me, in this case.”

Rockland initially received other proposals from other developers. However, when the City contacted them to specify Rockland’s deep commitment to affordable housing, the other developers declined to move forward.

The last remnants of the Shafter house, at 9 – 13 Rockland Street, were cleared away in 2018 following years of abandonment that eventually acquiesced into City ownership. Grounds remediation has been scheduled by the City, with an expected completion date of October 2025. However, if the region experiences another winter similar to this last one, the work could continue through the colder months, according to City Manager Tom Luttrell, during a special meeting June 25, 2024.

Several Rockland Street residents attended the meeting, and all spoke in favor of the project, especially appreciative that the property isn’t being turned into a parking lot for ferry passengers. They touted the location, access to the waterfront, and walkability to Hannaford and Downtown. As one speaker said, the school bus stops on that street four times per day, evidence of the many families that live there.

Some demurred the loss of park space, but many love the idea that they are helping bring to the community the teachers, Ed Techs, grocery store workers, and other lower-payed employees that are critical to a fully-functioning municipality.

Parking by new tenants remains a concern, especially when winter bans are in effect. As well, some residents wished for the new houses to blend in with the neighborhood. Others wished for houses that are more energy efficient than the older houses around them. And, some needed assurance, provided by Councilor Penny York, that the paving method would allow rainwater to be absorbed into the earth and not create a pond.

York said that this is a great opportunity to create a really great model of what a successful neighborhood looks like, where we are reducing those hard surfaces and incorporating rain gardens, and making sure that every house has a rainbarrel, in an effort to reduce the cost of stormwater.

“If we can use this as an example, it’s just a great win for us as a City as well to be able to show folks what we can do in order to create a great model that can be replicated throughout the city,” said York.

Site plans have not yet been designed because, thus far, Lincoln has deliberately remained flexible. If Rockland only wants six houses on that site, he said he will do six. If the City wants duplexes, he will do duplexes. If the City is more concerned about equal parts park space, he will try to prioritize green areas. As well, Maine Affordable Housing is tweaking its 2022 guidelines, which means waiting for confirmation of certain aspects, some of which councilors questioned and Lincoln couldn’t answer because the details may be different in a few months.

Maine Affordable Housing bases their numbers on 120 percent of $94,000, for a first-time buyer, with a home selling price of $287,000. A person does not need to be a first-time buyer. This is just what the program looks to for a foundation.

In terms of housing design, Lincoln’s goal is to “pick houses that are very apace with the neighborhood around them,” said Lincoln.

Lincoln understands that sometimes the word “modular” makes people envision a structure that doesn’t fit with the New England neighborhoods. However, Lincoln said that his partnering construction company, Dooryard, producing both excellent quality, and fit in with their surroundings. Lincoln toured finished products in Madison and said that those structures blended in, “because they looked just like everything around them.”

Lincoln is considering 2-bedroom, 1-bath homes. And, regardless of the size, they will all be electric, with heat pumps and the potential for solar hookups. The structures cannot be higher than 2.5 stories.

“Again, as we get down this road, if I’m selected, then we really kind of hone in on price, cost, and really figuring everything out,” he said. “There could be some slight fluctuation there, but, the goal here is to create a home that is below the average home price in Rockland right now.”

He also wants the City to add language to the contract that spells out the City’s obligation to remediation. Beyond that, he’s looking for the ability to have site control so that he can start spending money.

“I’ve been pretty transparent,” he said. “I’m just not comfortable spending significant money until it’s really kind of mine to lose.”

Click on our previous articles regarding this Rockland Street location:

- Rockland Council nixes Park and Ride idea for vacant lot, considers Brownfield remediation

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com