Demand for apartments and houses means the new Blue Spruce Farm is selling out fast.
In just five months, four 12-unit apartment buildings and 10 new homes have been constructed at the Blue Spruce Farm subdivision off Spring Street in Westbrook, and people are already moving in.
Next week, tenants of the first completed apartment building will move in, and the developer, Risbara Bros. Construction, is planning to open a new apartment building in each of the next three months. Thirty-five of the 50 planned apartment units have already been leased.
Construction crews building both the apartment buildings and single-family homes were working Monday in sunny, 40-degree weather. The mild winter has contributed to the pace in which the development has come together. The high demand for affordable housing in Greater Portland also has put a spotlight on Blue Spruce Farm, says developer Bill Risbara.
“The location and timing has just been unbelievable,” he said.
Risbara said the company had originally planned to begin construction last summer, but was held up by a final hurdle with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. He said crews broke ground on Sept. 8.
Owners of some of the first new homes have already moved in, with a partially-paved road spiraling through most of the 48-acre property.
Real estate companies in Greater Portland have characterized Westbrook as more attractive now in the hot commercial real estate market, with many examples of businesses capitalizing on lower costs in the city. The demand for housing shown by the Blue Spruce project depicts that the residential market is looking up, as well.
“The pace at which the Blue Spruce project has taken shape has caught the attention of many people, and the greatest part of that story is their inventory is disappearing as fast as they build them,” said Bill Baker, Westbrook’s assistant city administrator, this week. “This good news really does parallel the great news in the commercial market and we could not be more pleased about the fact that people are recognizing Westbrook as a great place to live and raise a family.”
On Monday, final touches were being added to the apartment building opening March 1, including painting touch-ups and mopping. Just a few hundred feet away, a crane was lifting pieces of the roof onto a building slated to open in June.
Risbara said the company began marketing the apartments Christmas week, and the project is now 73 percent leased. Some 80 people came to an open house last week, and another seven applications were received.
“I have no doubt that we’re going to be 100 percent full,” he said. “Basically, the market is chasing us to get these buildings done.”
Risbara manages all of its rental units in Maine under the umbrella Maine Properties, LLC. Risbara said of the 35 confirmed tenants so far, 11 are relocating from Portland, eight are from Westbrook, and three are from out of state. He said 10 percent are retirees.
Perhaps the most overarching concern from the Westbrook community leading up to the project was its potential impact on city schools, many of which are already deemed at capacity. The school department recently announced that it has hired an architect to design renovation and expansion plans for both Saccarappa Elementary School and Westbrook Middle School. Because of its location, any school-aged children living at the Blue Spruce development would most likely attend Saccarappa.
However, Risbara said, so far, only two units are leased by familes with school-aged children, and coincidentally, they are already enrolled in Westbrook schools.
Risbara said the pet-friendly buildings, and a trail system (by Portland Trails) that will eventually connect to the development, are two more factors appealing to potential tenants.
Another is the price.
The one-bedroom apartments are going for $1,150, while the two-bedroom are $1,400. The apartments include heat and hot water, and all have built-in air conditioning and stainless steel appliances. Risbara said the prices are under market rate for what is included.
The company will also appear at the March 1 Westbrook Planning Board meeting, looking for approval to amend the subdivision plan. The plans originally called for two, 23-unit, one-bedroom apartment buildings along the southern end of the property. Risbara said the company instead is hoping to build four additional buildings like those in development now, due to the popularity of both the two-bedroom and one-bedroom options. He said the smaller buildings also look better aesthetically.
For the real estate agents working on the development, the pace has been fast and furious. Amy Foley, a broker for the Blue Spruce Farm homes listed in the Maine Real Estate Network, said this week that of the 53 single-family homes under construction now, only 10 are left.
“It’s been crazy,” she said Tuesday. “I’ve never seen a development sell out so fast.” Foley said she often sells homes that are part of new subdivisions, but believes that the “price point” of the Blue Spruce houses are appealing and the demand is there.
While Risbara is developing the apartments, Graiver Homes is building the single-family homes. There are two different floor plans – the Ari and the Holly.
Homes with the Holly floor plan are going for $262,000, while the Ari homes are $275,000. The homes feature three bedrooms, with 2 1/2 bathrooms and a two-car garage, but the Ari plan is larger by 111 square feet, and has expansion potential over the garage. Most lots are on roughly 0.2 acres.
Following the completion of the homes, Risbara will consider getting to work on the condominium units planned for the back portion of the property. It would include 32 condos in eight buildings.
The property was owned by the Clarke family for decades prior to the sale to Risbara. William Clarke, a well-known longtime Westbrook city clerk, lived in the farmhouse along the road. The home is being restored, and turned into two additional apartments.
A view from a balcony on the first completed apartment building at Blue Spruce Farm shows the next two 12-unit buildings scheduled to open April 1 and May 1, respectively. 
Aerial photos depict the Blue Spruce Farm site in August, and then only six months later, this Tuesday. 
February aerial
Final touches were added Monday to the first of four 12-unit apartment buildings set to open next week. This photo shows a typical kitchen, featuring stainless steel appliances.
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