Northern Forest Center proposes 28-unit housing development to fill critical need in Greenville

GREENVILLE — The Northern Forest Center has submitted the preliminary subdivision application for its 28-unit housing development on Spruce Street to the Greenville Planning Board.

The new development will feature a mix of single-family homes and duplexes, ranging from one to three bedrooms, in a clustered neighborhood designed to encourage community connections among residents.  

The site plan is part of the Center’s application to the town of Greenville for subdivision approval. The Center submitted its formal application to the planning board April 1 as part of a multi-step review process to secure approval for the development.  

“We’re excited about the design of this new neighborhood,” said Mike Wilson, senior program director for the Center. “It represents something a little new for Greenville, and other rural communities. It clusters quality housing to make efficient use of in-town land and encourage neighborliness while also offering privacy for homeowners and residents.” 

“This new development will fill a critical need for reasonably-priced, quality, year-round housing in Greenville,” Wilson said. “We’ve heard over and over from local residents and employers that Greenville’s housing market is out of reach for young people, teachers, tradespeople, hospitality workers and others who are part of a robust community. This development is designed to address that need.”  

“Increasing the supply of stable and financially attainable housing will help us recruit and retain the skilled healthcare professionals the Moosehead Lake Region needs,” said Randall Clark, president of Northern Light CA Dean & Mayo Hospital. “When job candidates know they can afford to live near the hospital, they are more likely to apply, accept job offers, and build long-term careers in the community. This project will help us attract quality healthcare workers who may otherwise rule out Greenville.” 

A new approach to rural housing 

The Center is working in partnership with TMBR, a mass timber design company, and Maine contractor Big Country Built to create quality homes using an innovative mass timber system customized for rural places. Haley Ward, Inc., is providing civil engineering for the project site.  

The 5-acre property the Center is developing sits west of Spruce Street, about two-tenths of a mile from Pritham Avenue. Site designer Anthony Viola of TMBR said the site layout is designed to create connectivity. Walking paths from the common parking area branch into the neighborhood and several homes of varying sizes are arranged together around shared open space to encourage connection with neighbors. The varied sizes and placement of the homes reflect the natural texture of the surrounding environment. 

The homes will feature open concept floor plans and range from roughly 1,000 to 1,600 square feet. The Center’s goal is to provide quality housing that is affordable for middle-income, year-round residents to purchase or rent. “None of these homes will be available for short-term rental,” Wilson said. 

Center partners with community to shape project 

In the early stages of this project, the Center worked with the town of Greenville, Northern Light CA Dean Hospital and the Moosehead Lake Regional Economic Development Corp. to explore options for building housing to address Greenville’s needs.  

After purchasing the Spruce Street property, the Center began working with the town of Greenville to create the conditions to support a successful housing development project. 

In fall 2023, the Center helped the town secure roughly $1 million from the Northern Border Regional Commission to support expansion of public infrastructure needed for development of the Spruce Street property. The Center is providing $265,000 to match the Border Commission’s grant. The infrastructure phase of the project will extend public water and sewer service and construct a new public road on the Spruce Street property.  

“We’re proud to partner with the Northern Forest Center on the Spruce Street housing project,” said Greenville Town Manager Mike Roy. “This collaboration reflects exactly what our community has been asking for — thoughtful, attainable housing that supports working families, strengthens our year‑round economy and helps ensure that the people who make Greenville run can continue to call it home.”  

“The Center brings deep regional experience and a shared commitment to rural vitality, and together we’re turning a long‑identified need into real progress,” Roy continued. “This project is an important step toward meeting our housing needs and building a stronger, more resilient Greenville for the future. This project will allow others to live, work and play in the Moosehead Lake region.” 

First units expected by fall

Groundbreaking for the public infrastructure phase of the project will take place this spring, followed by site work on the Center’s property and construction of the first homes this summer. Plans are for the first homes to be available for purchase or rent by fall 2026 and the full, multi-phase development to be complete in spring 2028.

The Center is an innovation and investment partner working across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. Rooted in community, forest stewardship, and economic development, the Center is the only nonprofit delivering integrated, cross-state solutions in the region to help rural people and places thrive.  

“For three decades, the Northern Forest Center has strengthened communities and changed lives: creating housing and jobs, attracting resources, and securing forests for public benefit,” Wilson said. 

The Center has successfully developed new housing in historic buildings in Bethel, Lancaster, New Hampshire and St. Johnsbury, Vermont and is midway through creating nine new apartments in Tupper Lake, New York in a new building that also uses some mass timber components. 

The housing initiative builds on the Center’s other past and current work in the Moosehead Lake region, which includes funding for an Extended Learning Opportunity coordinator in the local high school, producing the new Moosehead Outdoor Recreation Investment Strategy, providing grants to help downtown businesses improve storefronts, helping to redevelop the lake-front boardwalk and Crafts Landing Park and providing business innovation grants to tourism-related enterprises.