The former Augusta Police station is seen Friday near Capitol Park in Augusta. The city has accepted plans by Developers Collaborative of Portland to build affordable housing units on the site. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA — City officials plan to sell the former Augusta Police Department site to a Portland developer who plans to build about 100 units of affordable housing, with a mix of senior citizens and families and, potentially, onsite child care.

Officials selected Developers Collaborative’s proposal, out of three submitted, to redevelop the former police station site at 33 Union St., a 4-acre parcel in between Kennebec Valley YMCA and Capitol Park.

The Portland developer, which has partnered with Augusta Housing Authority on other housing projects in the city, proposes to build between 100 and 103 affordable housing units in two phases, with a mix of senior housing restricted to tenants 55 or older, and family units with one, two and three bedroom options.

The developer would purchase the property from the city for $500,000.

Plans include the potential for a child care facility on the site, possibly in a partnership with the adjacent YMCA, according to city officials.

Laura Reading, director of affordable housing for Developers Collaborative, said their conceptual proposal was to develop a mix of senior and family “housing to create an intergenerational community on site with the Kennebec Valley YMCA’s existing campus and nearby recreational activities such as the Kennebec River Rail Trail and Capitol Park. Programming and services could include partnering with KVYMCA and their existing programs as well as creating new spaces for new or expanded programs such as providing additional child care space or providing a community kitchen that could bring all ages together.”

She said the company is just starting its design process to redevelop the site and plans to work with neighbors and the community that redesign.

The former Augusta Police station, left, and the Kennebec Valley YMCA, right, are seen Friday near Capitol Park in Augusta. The city has accepted plans by Developers Collaborative of Portland to build affordable housing units on the site of the former police station. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Three proposals were submitted in the competitive request for proposals process, with city officials selecting Developers Collaborative’s proposal.

“This proposal is both achievable and ambitious, and we look forward to working with Developers Collaborative to bring this vision to life,” Matt Nazar, city development director, said in a statement. “Their past work with the Augusta Housing Authority and other communities in Maine has demonstrated quality, care, and effective project management. We believe this partnership will be a significant step in addressing Augusta’s housing and child care needs.”

The Augusta Housing Authority has previously worked with Developers Collaborative on other projects, including the redevelopment of the former Hodgkins Middle School into senior apartments that opened in 2016.

The city’s request for proposals sought submissions to transform the city-owned property into an affordable housing development.

Amanda Bartlett, former director of the Augusta Housing Authority, said previously, when she was in that role, and the city was building a since-opened new police station, the housing authority may have been interested in purchasing the former Augusta police station to redevelop the site with housing. Bartlett left that role last year to work for Developers Collaborative.

The quasi-municipal Augusta Housing Authority did not submit a proposal for the police station site.

Developers Collaborative’s plans include demolishing the former police station building, which officials have said has numerous problems including a leaky roof.

Reading said Developers Collaborative, a firm which has developed many housing projects, and built a new homeless shelter in Portland, plans to apply for low income housing tax credits in September of 2025 and, if successful, could start construction on the first of two phases in September of 2026, with completion about a year after that.

The rental housing would be available to people making 60% of the area median income or less. Based on MaineHousing data for Kennebec County, that would be about $36,540 a year for a single-person household, or $41,760 for a two-person household.

City Manager Jared Mills said the project presents a unique opportunity for Augusta to expand its affordable housing stock and make a meaningful impact in the community.

The former Augusta Police station is seen Friday near Capitol Park in Augusta. The city has accepted plans by Developers Collaborative of Portland to build affordable housing units on the site. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal