Five of Auburn’s largest housing projects at various stages of completion will ultimately add 503 new homes and apartments, putting a dent in the 1,300 housing units the city needs by 2030 to meet demand.

The projects are part of a market-rate housing boom the city has experienced over the past several years, after a number of low-income developments were built in the years before the 2020 pandemic, according city officials and development data.

And with that market-rate housing boom, the city has experienced significant increases in building permits issued and fees collected.

Fees collected for commercial and residential building permits, as well as for plumbing, electrical, swimming pool, demolition and sign permits, rose before peaking at a record of more than $333,000 in fiscal year 2021, according to city permitting data.

Fees have stayed high since then and are projected to reach more than $231,000 by the end of fiscal 2026.

The number of actual building permits issued has been trending upward since 2017. For 2021, 1,178 permits were issued; the city expects to issue 1,208 permits by the end of fiscal year 2026 in June.

The value of all permitted construction projects in Auburn has also risen in general over the past 10 years, going from nearly $29 million in 2017 to nearly $65 million in 2025.

Here are updates on five of the biggest housing projects going on in Auburn, plus an update on plans for a beloved former Catholic church in New Auburn.

Stetson Road project like a ‘whole new neighborhood’

Early last year the Auburn Planning Board approved a 160-unit market-rate housing project off Stetson Road that Economic Development Director Jay Brenchick described as a “whole new neighborhood.”

There will be 30 quadplexes and 20 duplexes on the site. The project will be built in three phases and developers will likely break ground on the project this year.

Original construction plans included 180-units costing $2.7 million to build, but Pennsylvania-based A.R. Building Co. scaled back the number of units to better comply with local construction regulations. The site is near the YMCA’s Outdoor Education Center and farmland in the area.

Houses and apartments on Danville Corner Road

While most of the city’s large-scale housing projects are for market-rate rentals, a 93-unit project on Danville Corner Road will add 69 housing lots and three apartment buildings with eight apartments in each building, combining both rented and owned housing.

The final permitting public hearing for the nearly $1.2 million project, proposed by Terradyn Consultants LLC, will be held in February. Construction is expected to start this year.

Second Mount Auburn Avenue apartment building to be completed

A one- and two-bedroom luxury apartment building that was under construction when it was destroyed by a fire in 2024 is slated to be completed later this year. A twin building that escaped serious damage from the fire was completed last spring. When the second building is finished later this year, 52 more housing units will be added to the city’s stock.

It is Pennsylvania-based A.R. Building Co.’s second Auburn housing project, totaling 101 apartments between the two buildings next to BJ’s Wholesale Club on Mount Auburn Avenue. The project was estimated to cost $15 million when proposed.

Apartments and warehouse on Adamian Drive

West Shore Village LLC will add 48 multifamily apartments to the city’s housing stock this year, along with adding a warehouse to the Adamian Drive property. The $7.5 million project will offer market-rate units. Construction is expected to start this year.

More housing for downtown Auburn

Auburn Town Center Apartments LLC is expected to break ground on a 53-unit building this year at 15 Academy St. Located downtown, the project will cost $10 million. The units will be available as market-rate rentals.

What’s next for New Auburn’s St. Louis Church?

The former St. Louis Catholic Church, established in 1902 for a mostly French Canadian neighborhood at the time, holds a special place in New Auburn residents’ hearts. The idea of tearing it down is inconceivable to some. But with costly facade issues, the city, which is the owner, is having a hard time finding a developer who can afford to turn it into something.

In 2014 the Catholic Diocese of Portland sold the church for $75 to a group of developers, which struggled to redevelop it. In 2019 the city foreclosed on the property and took ownership. Since then it has been searching for someone who can redevelop the property.

The city is in discussions with a developer who is looking to turn it into housing, but the high cost to fix the brick facade, which is pulling away from the front of the building, has quashed interest from previous developers. There is no guarantee the current potential developer will move forward with plans to turn the building around at this time, according to Brenchick.

If the city can’t find a developer, the cost to tear the structure down is similar to the cost to fix the issues with it, Brenchick said, putting the city in a tough spot.

If plans with the prospective developer fall through, the city might have to reconsider future plans for the former church, he said.