Residents will start moving into the Wilbur’s Woods affordable housing development in Brunswick in August, according to developers.

Maine-based development company GreenMars broke ground in fall 2024 for the 21-unit condominium buildings, priced at $325,000 each. After the condos are completed, the developer also aims to build an affordable, 18-unit apartment building to be rented at 80% of the area median income.

“These (houses) are good for retirees, they’re good for young people, you could put a couple kids in here. You have a nice, private, safe neighborhood (where) kids can run around,” said Nate Green, who founded GreenMars with business partner Chris Marshall. “It really gives people an opportunity to get into home ownership and get on that equity ladder that they wouldn’t be able to.”

Brunswick’s Zoning Board of Appeals struck down an appeal against the proposal in June 2024, voting unanimously to accept the Planning Board’s finding that the design of the apartment building was architecturally compatible with the neighborhood.

The appeal was filed on behalf of 52 neighbors and cited 13 arguments — including concerns related to Brunswick’s streamlined review process, traffic safety, unreasonable stress on the town’s resources and aesthetic differences.

In April 2024, the Zoning Board rejected all arguments except one, finding that the apartment building was too large, and sending it back to the Planning Board for review. Developers submitted a new design showing a shorter, 21/2-story building that the Planning Board eventually approved. 

Green and Marshall said projects like this address Maine’s housing shortage by making home ownership more feasible. Maine needs to build 84,000 homes by 2030 to accommodate population growth, the Portland Press Herald reported last year.

The price point was kept below Brunswick’s median home sale price — roughly $630,000 in summer 2023 — through subsidies provided by Maine Housing. Households must earn less than $105,360 per year to qualify for the homes.

All of the condo units are currently under contract, the developers said. The two-story Scandinavian-style homes have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office or additional bedroom space, a basement and an open-concept kitchen, dining and living room area.

Some of the condos will be completed in a matter of weeks, Green and Marshall said. Residents will move in over two stages in August and September, and the company is planning a ribbon cutting in the fall.

Construction on the apartment building doesn’t have an exact start date yet, but will begin after all condos are completed, Green and Marshall said.