Sturgeon Place, a partnership between Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) and 3i HoME, is designing a fully-accessible affordable residential building in Scarborough, Maine. Our building will be located in the Town Center at The Downs. Our community of affordable rental apartments will be home to 51 households in which at least one member is disabled. In addition to the private rental apartments, the project will feature a common living area for social activities, a designated work space for service providers and a mobility and assistive technology hub.
The apartments will be designed according to principles of Universal Design for easy mobility with or without a wheelchair. Bathrooms, kitchens and all living areas will be barrier free and the entire building will be wired for adaptable environmental controls and smart home functionality.
How Sturgeon Place got its name
Our totally accessible apartment building at The Downs, Scarborough is named Sturgeon Place for the multi-generational family that has been instrumental in the development of this unique property. Mitch Sturgeon, a member of the 3i HoME Board of Directors, is an author, blogger, disability advocate, and power wheelchair user. His memoir, ENJOYING THE RIDE: Two Generations of Tragedy and Triumph, chronicles how his quadriplegic mother inspired him to meet his own challenges later in life.
Sturgeon Place, the downs project
Sturgeon Place will be built in the heart of The Downs, a growing mixed-use community located on the former site of Scarborough Downs – which hosted horse racing for over 70 years before closing in 2020. The Downs is already home to a range of housing offerings, as well as commercial and office uses, and Sturgeon Place’s location near the core of The Downs’s planned Town Center is in keeping with the goal of providing housing that will enable residents to live independent, active lives and to engage with and contribute to their community.
Sturgeon Place 