BATH

From parking, traffic generation and back to parking, Bath residents asked about potential impacts to the neighborhood if a Portland developer moves forward with plans to turn the Huse School into an apartment building.

The Szanton Company, a developer of mixed-income housing based in Portland, invited Huse School neighbors to the informal presentation on Thursday night at the Donald Small School Auditorium. The company is proposing renovations at Huse School, located at 39 Andrews Road, to its original architecture that would see installation of new windows and energy-efficient construction. The company is looking to construct 55 new apartments — mostly one-bedrooms — in the Huse School and a new wing they plan to build.

THE SZANTON COMPANY, a developer of mixed-income housing based in Portland, invited Huse School neighbors to a presentation on Thursday at the Donald Small School Auditorium. The company is proposing renovations at Huse School, located at 39 Andrews Road, to its original architecture that would see installation of new windows and energy-efficient construction. The company is looking to construct 55 new apartments in the Huse School and a new wing they plan to build.

Approximately 25 percent of the apartments would be market-rate and the rest would be income-restricted. According to the proposal, a household of two people earning up to $28,550 a year could rent a one-bedroom apartment for $669, with heat and hot water included.

It is not a Section 8 project, though Principal Nathan Szanton said if someone had a portable voucher and went through the company’s extensive screening process, they would have to rent to that person. The Szanton Company has its own management wing, enabling it to control the tenant experience, he said, and it would own and maintain the housing.

The former school, vacant for quite some time now, has been used as overflow parking during Bath YMCA events, residents explained, and someone involved in the city’s Little League program worried the project will take space away from the kids; the baseball fields abut the Huse School property.

The company is proposing one designated parking space for each apartment and 12 spaces for visitors. Residents remained skeptical as to whether that will provide sufficient parking and bristled when Szanton said there is onstreet parking, too. Neighbors argued that in the summer, especially, there are so many cars parked along the narrow Andrews Road now that it essentially becomes a one-way street. The proposal for traffic to enter on Andrew Road and exit via Cobb Road wasn’t well received, and one suggestion was made to talk to the YMCA about an access agreement.

Szanton showed other projects he’s completed during a slide show, old mill buildings that have been transformed into housing in locations such as Portland, Lewiston and Biddeford. Several residents voiced caution that this property is located within a different kind of neighborhood than Szanton’s other projects. Another spoke of a very similar project she was part of in Kennebunk — not done by Szanton — and said she’s heard no negative comments about the impact on the community there.

Szanton did caution residents that at some point, if the Huse School is to be redeveloped, people will have to drive to and from it, and to let parking concerns drive decisions, is a bit like “a tail wagging the dog.” In addition, Szanton said, all vital places have parking issues.

“Again, I want to emphasize that we embrace your idea. Bath needs secure housing,” said Joanna Johnson, of 84 Lincoln St. “From what I’ve seen this is a very nice community. We are not discriminating and I like your idea and I am a direct neighbor. I will say that you have to work on your logistics for access and all the other things, but they will be addressed later.”

The Szanton Company will discuss the purchase of the property with the city council at its Feb. 4 meeting. In October, it would apply for a federal subsidy through a competitive historic tax credit program, and will learn in early December if it received an allocation from the state. Construction is expected to take about 10 months, with an anticipated March 2017 opening.

The city council had approved a sale agreement in April 2014 for the building to another developer who planned to transform the former school into a senior assisted living facility, but according to Scott LaFlamme, the director of Bath’s community development department, the timing didn’t work out for the developer or the city.

LaFlamme said that for the project to move forward, the developer would have to submit a letter of interest to the city. The city council would then consider directing the city manager to execute a purchase and sale agreement. The project would then undergo planning board review.

After the meeting, Szanton said he likes to get to the neighborhood early to see what the issues are so he can address them. Taking into account concerns voiced Thursday, Szanton said he believes there is enough common ground with neighbors.

“I think we can work something out that will take their needs into consideration but also take into consideration the need of the city too to get this property back on the tax rolls,” he said.

The Szanton Company incorporates aspects of a building’s history into its new use. The Huse School is a cool building that has been defaced over the years through efforts to make it more energy efficient, Szanton said, “and I’m really excited about bringing it back to its original appearance.”

dmoore@timesrecord.com