It has been confirmed that the former Ramada Inn in Lewiston will not become a “transitional housing” facility for those “on the fringes of homelessness.”
Chris Kilmurry, head of the Lewiston Housing Authority, told Maine’s Total Coverage that plans to convert the former hotel into a 117-unit transitional housing facility have fallen through after their request for a zoning variance was denied.
Kilmurry further said that the agency has since canceled its sales and purchase agreement with the owners of the Ramada Inn.
According to WMTW, 23 of the rooms in the former Ramada Inn are currently being used to house some of the “asylum seekers” who had previously been living at the Portland Expo and will be permitted to stay until November 1st.
Although no other transitional housing projects are currently in the works, the Housing Authority is working to convert the former Martel Elementary School into 44 housing units for older Mainers.
The Housing Authority was originally seeking a variance from the city that would reduce the minimum dwelling unit size for the property from 300 square feet to 282 square feet — the size of 80 percent of existing rooms in the former Ramada Inn.
They opted to pursue a zoning variance instead of a contract zone on account of time constraints associated with their ability to receive a $3.7 million grant from MaineHousing, a sum that would have covered roughly half of the property’s purchase price.
[RELATED: Plans to Transform Former Lewiston Ramada Inn Into Affordable Housing Facility Blocked]
The Housing Authority’s proposal was highly controversial from its inception. Critics of the plan argued that the development would have a negative impact on the surrounding neighborhood and that the loss of a major hotel would be harmful to the town’s economy.
In denying the request, Board of Appeals members cited a belief that issuing the variance would “alter the central character of the property,” meaning that the request would fail to meet one of the four criteria that would need to be met in order for the variance to be approved.
In response to these concerns, Development Project Director for Lewiston Housing Silas Leavitt publicly stated that the Ramada Inn has received no offers for the property outside of the Housing Authority’s.
Leavitt further explained that the existing structure would require “significant investment,” including a $1.5 million roof.
“Based on the cost of purchasing the building and tearing it down, any developer would be looking at $10 million hole from the start,” he told the Board.
It remains unclear what will eventually become of the former Ramada Inn after the “asylum seekers” leave on November 1st.
