After nearly a year of debate and legal appeals, a judge has officially given the green light for an apartment complex project in Portland.
Developers started clearing the 1.5 acre lot on Forest Avenue on March 31.
The lot extends right to the property lines of some backyards.
The developers behind the three-story, 50-unit apartment complex just got the green light to start construction, but the question now is whether a project such as this is the right fit for the quiet neighborhood just off Forest Avenue.
“All good things go away, I guess, eventually,” Portland resident Lee Doucette said.
Doucette and his wife have lived in Portland’s Riverton neighborhood for the last 32 years.
He said they’re getting used to this new normal.
“We like to watch birds. My wife did a lot of gardening back here, so it was pleasant,” Doucette said.
Developers say 13 of the apartments are designed as affordable housing, but neighbors like Doucette still aren’t convinced it’s the right spot.
“It seems to be too large for this space,” Doucette said.
The project was put on pause for a year after neighbors sued Acre Properties and the city, citing zoning issues and muti-family design standards. A judge has since denied nearly all of their claims.
“It does serve a purpose, but it doesn’t seem to serve the purpose of everyone, and especially the people in this neighborhood,” Doucette said.
“I have a 22-month-old daughter, you know, already there’s traffic we’re worried about,” Portland resident Kyle Gahm said.
Gahm has lived there for seven years. He’s worried the new complex will turn this mostly quiet neighborhood into a busy one.
“It is going to be insane, with this being the only enter and exit on Belfort Street,” Gahm said.
The developers chose not to speak on camera Tuesday but expect construction to be done by next spring.
In the meantime, the only legal option left for neighbors is to appeal to the state supreme court.
“The fight’s not over until the fight’s over,” Gahm said.
