Dougherty Commons will be a welcoming neighborhood development of mixed income housing in the Libbytown Neighborhood in Portland. The 43 & 91 Douglass Street parcel was chosen by the city in 2019 for redevelopment as mixed rental and ownership homes affordable to a range of incomes and household sizes. Maine Cooperative Development Partners and the Szanton Company put forward a proposal for the site that was selected by the city in 2020. The project received planning board approval in May 2022, received updated approval for April 2023, and completion of phases 1 & 2 are targeted for summer 2025. The site is adjacent to the Dougherty Fields complex which has a playground, outdoor swimming pool, skate park, playing fields, and basketball court, and is near the #1, #4, #5, #7 & #9 Metro bus lines, and a ten minute walk to the Portland Transportation Center, which has Amtrak Trains, Concord Coach South to Boston and New York, and north to Bangor via Midcoast or Central Maine, and the Breeze bus to Yarmouth, Freeport, and Brunswick.
The site has three separate projects:Dougherty Condos, Dougherty Apartments, and 45 Dougherty.
Dougherty Condos:20 affordable condo homes total at 57 and 65 Dougherty Court (Buildings D4 and D5 in the site plan below), starting construction in Jan 2025 and ready for move in summer of 2025. There are 8 one bedroom first floor homes, and 12 three bedroom, 1.5 bath homes. 4 of the three bedroom homes are townhome style on first and second floors, and 8 of the three bedroom homes are rowhomes on the second and third floors above the one bedroom homes. One of the one bedroom homes is accessible.
57 Dougherty Court, Units 1-4, are four connected two-story townhomes, with
4 three bedroom, 1.5 bath, 2 story homes on the 1st and 2nd floors for 3-6 person households .
65 Dougherty Court, Units 101-108 and 201-208, are 16 homes total, connected townhome units in a three story building, with
1 one bedroom, 1 bath, 1st floor accessible home for 1-2 person households
7 one bedroom, 1 bath, 1st floor homes for 1-2 person households
8 three bedroom, 1.5 bath, two story homes on the 2nd and 3rd floors for 3-6 person households
Price and Income Restrictions Income restricted means buyer households must earn up to 100% of Area Median Income (AMI) when they purchase the home (see the chart below). In the future, households can only sell to other households that are at or under the 100% of Area Median Income (AMI). Price restricted means that the sale price of the home can only increase to the extent that the Area Median Income has increased. City of Portland housing office will calculate what condos can be sold for in the future.
Energy Efficient: The homes are energy efficient, all electric, with heat pumps, and will achieve DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes Certification, and have a HERS index of 40-47%.
Please click below if you are interested in purchasing a condo; this form collects your contact information and income estimates but does not create any obligation.
45 Dougherty: 63 apartments affordable to households earning less than 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) will be developed by The Szanton Company. Construction is started in March 2024 and is expected to be completed by Summer 2025.
Dougherty Apartments: 42 apartments affordable to households earning 60-100% of Area Median Income (AMI). This project is targeted for completion in 2026.
Dougherty Condos Images
Dougherty Commons Site Plan
The site plan above shows current site plan. Douglass Street is along the bottom of the plan; Congress Street is to the right, and to the left is the new playground planned by the City of Portland, and beyond that is the Dougherty Fields. The large building at the top is Szanton's 45 Dougherty affordable apartments; the square buildings in the middle and the long building at the left will be Dougherty Apartments. The square buildings are 10 apartment Community Flats buildings with a social lobby and either a function room, gym, or office; one has a guest suite, and one has a studio as a 11th unit. All Community Flats buildings have a 2BR and 3BR on the first floor and the uppers floors each have two - two bedroom and two one bedroom units. The buildings along the bottom of the plan are the condos; the smaller building to the left are 4 Townhomes, each with a two story 3BR home. The long building on the bottom right are Rowhomes condos; they have 1BR homes on the first floor, and 3BR homes on the second and third floors.
Public Meetings
Upcoming Events
Check back for future meetings as they are scheduled. We look forward to you joining us!
Can't attend the meeting? email us with your feedback.
Tuesday, April 25 Planning Board Vote on Changes to Site Plan The changes include increasing from 62 to 66 units and increasing some of the buildings from 2 stories to 3 stories.
Thursday, March 23, 2023, 7:30pm Libbytown Neighborhood Association Meeting We presented changed plans with lower building height as a result of feedback at the last neighborhood meeting.
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 Planning Board Meeting We were scheduled to present at this meeting but had our presentation tabled so that we could take time to incorporate neighborhood feedback.
Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 10am Special Libbytown Neighborhood Association Meeting We shared our plans to increase some buildings from 2 to 3- story and number of units from 62 to 66 in order to accommodate increases in interest rates and building costs. At the meeting we reviewed plans, collected feedback, and decided to delay our planning board application in order to change one of the buildings to be lower.
May 24, 2022 Planning Board Final Vote and Approval.
May 10, 2022 Planning Board Workshop Dougherty Commons
March 22, 2022 Planning Board Workshop Dougherty Commons
March 9, 2022 at 7pm. Meeting to collect feedback from neighborhood on the proposed site plan.
Nov 17, 2021 at 7pm LNA Monthly Meeting This month's Libbytown Neighborhood Association meeting will be held on Wednesday November 17th at 7pm via Zoom, and will feature an update on the Douglass St. Coop housing site plan!
Aug 3, 2021 at 7pm In Person Neighborhood Meeting In-person neighborhood meeting at the Jewish Community Alliance at 1342 Congress Street in Portland to discuss the proposed zone change from R5 to R5-A.
