HOULTON, Maine — Six years ago, Eleanor Schools of Houlton saw that her husband, Raymond, was having a harder time getting around. When he came to her and asked if she was interested in selling their house and moving into an apartment that would be easier to manage, she instantly agreed.
“I was all for it,” she said Thursday from their apartment i n Market Square Commons, a $2.5 million, three-story apartment complex for senior citizens that opened in the historic downtown in 2010. “We put the house on the market in the summer and it sold in late July. We were one of the first people to move in, and we got a beautiful corner apartment that looks out over the [Meduxnekeag] River.”
It is this kind of settlement into Market Square that town officials want to see, Nancy Ketch, Houlton’s community and economic development director, said during a recent interview.
“Obviously, having people in a downtown makes it more like a community,” she said. “And they are the ones that frequent the local businesses down there the most and bring business in. Our downtown is a very walkable place, and if you live downtown, it is an easy walk to the shops and the surrounding streets and the activities and places of work. That is what makes living down there so attractive.”
Ketch said that there are many second-floor properties that are amenable to making great homes for people interested in living in the downtown.
“There are also currently more apartment spaces being built on Kendall Street,” she said.
Donna Patterson just moved into Market Square Commons in October.
“I just love how comfortable and clean it is here,” she said. “Its beautiful. At this point, everyone is decorating for Christmas, so it makes it extra nice to live here.”
Patterson said she decided to move in because she was having trouble getting up and down the stairs.
“It really is just like home,” she said. “There are people here that I have gotten to know well even though I really just moved in,” she said.
She added she finds it appealing that she she can walk to all of the stores.
Ketch said the downtown committee is still discussing parking issues in the area and how to best address the situation for both downtown business owners and landlords. Downtown business owners have complained about losing sales at times because shoppers have such difficulty finding available parking spots near their stores.
“I think that people will see that there are enough spots for everyone,” Ketch said. “I think it is nice to see a lot of cars and people in the downtown.”
