Building Innovation for Homeownership
Award Winners: Maine
PROJECT: Pine Ridge, South Paris, Maine
SUBMITTER: Dennis Lajoie, Community Concepts, South Paris, Maine
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This development of 10 homes on a rural site in Maine has a
number of innovative features that reduce costs and encourage good land management. The
site plan uses a cluster arrangement that groups the homes close together, allowing the
remainder of the parcel to be held in common as undeveloped woods. This gives the
clustered homes a buffer against future development. The cluster scheme also results in
savings on site development and infrastructure costs. The 10 houses are modular units that
arrived at the site approximately 90% complete. Pine Ridge offers a variety of house styles--
capes, ranches, and colonials. The buildings are sited to take advantage of solar exposure in
enhancing daylighting and heating. Developed by a nonprofit agency, homes in Pine Ridge
are offered for an average of $61,500, which is .72 of median for new home construction in
this region. A program allows buyers to put down as little as $1,000 for a fixed-rate
mortgage, and housing prices are subsidized from $17,000 to $45,000 according to the
income and need of the buyers. The town supported the development in the form of a grant
for infrastructure and waived permit fees. There is also an �Ownership Readiness� program
that assists buyers in the financing process, helps families to budget, and to take care of their
homes.
PROJECT PARTICIPANTS: Community Concepts, Inc. (Matthew M. Smith, Dennis J.
Lajoie, Debbie Trenoweth, Linda Dube); Community Development Services (Tom Lewis,
Joseph Ponzetti); Main State Housing Authority (Tom McDonald, David Lakeri, director,
Kim Leopold); Keiser Homes (Ed Keiser, Todd Truman, Ray Atkisson); Norway Savings
Bank (Ross Tardiff, Bill Satchel); Searles Excavation (Gary Searles); Town of Paris (John
White).
Content Archived: January 20, 2009