Apartment Choice

LEWISTON — The city is seeking a large federal grant that would address housing and other issues in the poorest areas of downtown Lewiston , and neighborhood advocates say the funds could go a long way toward implementing goals they've had for years.  If successful in its bid, Lewiston could receive $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and what's known as a  Choice Neighborhood Planning and Action Grant. The city council approved the application last week, and will commit $237,500 in local Community Development Block Grant funds during implementation if the grant is successful.  The city hopes the funding can lead to long-term changes in the downtown neighborhood , where nearly half of residents live below the federal poverty level . According to 2015 census figures, the median family incomes in downtown census tracts 201 and 203, are $12,417 and $16,047, respectively.  The main purpose of the funds is to plan and execute major housing...

Lisa Eckelbecker Telegram & Gazette Staff @LisaEckelbecker WORCESTER – The company building 365 luxury apartments downtown plans to spend about $90 million on the development and thinks Worcester is ripe for such construction. Nearby highways, bus transportation, commuter rail lines and employment opportunities make the area perfect for development, and no one else is building the kind of high- end housing units that Mack- Cali Realty Corp . of Edison, New Jersey, is constructing, Ivan M. Baron, the company’s chief legal officer said Wednesday. “We’re providing a niche that we think we can fill,” Mr. Baron said. He spoke after a celebration that drew Worcester politicians , government workers and business people to the CitySquare neighborhood between City Hall and Union Station for a ceremonial groundbreaking. Some said the rise in private investment in Worcester development provides the opportunity to connect the city’s neighborhoods, attract residents and change...