Yesterday marked the Grand Opening for the Village Centre Apartments, a new top-of-the-line, energy-efficient affordable housing complex in Brewer, Maine. Sebago Technics provided landscape architecture and civil engineering services for the Project.
Village Centre is a 48 unit residential building serving the needs of affordable housing within the City of Brewer. Unit types are mixed from studio units to multiple bedroom units, appealing to a diverse tenant mix including young families. Site amenities include a central courtyard, play equipment, community garden and level turf areas for lawn recreation activities. By adding extra-thick, well-insulated walls and roof, recessed triple-pane windows, an energy recovery ventilation system, and LED bulbs and solar power, the Village Centre complex qualifies as one of the largest passive-certified housing projects in the United States.
The Master Plan provides for linkage to the public transit system and pedestrian connectivity with the surrounding residential and municipal neighborhood. Working closely with CWS Architects, Community Housing of Maine, and the City Planning Department, a master plan was developed to serve not only the residents of the project, but also the surrounding neighborhood and existing municipal facilities. Resident parking is provided for in a shared parking area which also accommodates access to the Brewer School Department Gymnasium, City Swimming Pool and Recreation Center, and Somerset Place, a nearby elderly housing facility. The project includes a new bus stop and shelter on the City transit line, and extensive pedestrian sidewalk connections to the adjacent streets and neighborhoods.
