Developers behind Auburn’s Stable Ridge pursuing second phase

Tim Byrne takes his dog Geordi for a walk Thursday outside his one-bedroom apartment at the Stable Ridge complex on Court Street in Auburn. Byrne moved in Wednesday. “I have a lot more space here,” he said. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

AUBURN — With a waiting list for two-bedroom units growing, the developers behind the Stable Ridge apartments off Court Street are seeking approval to begin a second phase of construction this spring.

Jessica Klimek, an Auburn resident and developer with American Development Group, said Thursday that nearly all the two-bedroom apartments at the complex have been leased less than a year since the project was approved. As the group puts the finishing touches on the first phase, it’s hoping to move “seamlessly” into the second in order to meet demand.

With the two-bedroom units going for $1,850 a month, Klimek said they have seen a lot of interest from the southern Maine market, including people who had been living in similar units in Scarborough or Portland, but paying more. She said the units have been going “super fast,” and most of the time sight-unseen.

The first phase at 555 Court St. includes a mix of 60, one- and two-bedroom units in five buildings. The last two buildings are in the finishing stages, with developers expecting them to be occupied by April 1.

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing and site plan review Feb. 14 for a second phase of construction that would bring 60 more units. These would be exclusively two-bedroom, Klimek said, in response to the demand so far. She said some people living in the one-bedroom units have sought to upgrade to a two-bedroom unit to add a home office.

A recent post on the Stable Ridge social media page promoting available units said, “Country charm and modern amenities meet to create a comfortable space you will never want to leave.”

One-bedroom apartments are priced at $1,650 per month, with seniors 65 and older receiving a $50 discount. In response to comments stating that the rental prices are too costly for most seniors, a comment said, “American Development Group is fighting to find a path towards making Stable Ridge more affordable for this very special market of renters.”

Klimek said they’ve heard the feedback regarding the rental prices, but said it’s been “tough” because of the cost of construction.

“We’ve tried to keep pricing as reasonable as possible,” she said.

According to a memo to city staff from Michael Gotto, a project consultant from Stoneybrook Land Use, the developers have decided to move forward with Phase 2 due to “the housing shortage in the Auburn market and the current tenant waiting list.”

The memo said the proposed second phase would also include new amenities, including community garden areas, picnic shelters, a fire pit, community trail access and “a barn structure with individual storage units.”

Gotto said it also proposes four garages, each with room for four vehicles.

“Each garage unit and the paved area in front of that garage unit can be used by each tenant for one outside vehicle parking space and one space inside the garage,” the memo said, adding that tenants could also use the outside area for parking and the inside space for storage of other personal items.

Gotto’s memo said a previous traffic study showed a maximum of 70 weekday evening peak-hour trips for the combined Phase 1 and Phase 2 projects, which does not meet the 100-vehicle peak-hour trip generation that would require a traffic movement permit from the Maine Department of Transportation.

He said the site access road at the Court Street intersection has “sufficient sight distances and will operate safely for the proposed use with striping changes within the existing pavement to create a left-turn lane on Court Street.”

“Striping adjustments are also proposed at the Court Street and Park Avenue intersection to increase the length of the existing left-turn stacking along Court Street at that intersection,” he said.

The first phase of construction was approved in early 2022, with construction beginning almost immediately. The development became central to an ongoing debate in Auburn over development growth, and led to a citizens’ petition against the new type of zoning that allowed it.

The first phase was approved under zoning known as T-4.2, which was successfully repealed following the petition. However, officials later approved an amended zoning type called T-4.2B. Both were form-based codes that the city has been pursuing in order to allow for a greater variety of residential and commercial uses.

Also on the Planning Board’s agenda for Feb. 14 are two small subdivision requests in the T-4.2B zone.

On Thursday, Mayor Jason Levesque said both are the “first real tests” of the new zoning, which he said are a “perfect illustration of what we want.”

Levesque said the new zoning gives a landowner the ability to subdivide oversized lots, dividing them into lots that are roughly “the same size as their neighbors.”

He said the true intent of the zoning type was to give greater flexibility with land, not to push large-scale development.

Asked about the Stable Ridge development, Levesque said, “They’re creating their own unique neighborhood.”