Revitalizing a Stressed Neighborhood

The Wedgewood House, located in the historic Tree Streets neighborhood of Lewiston, Maine, is an architecturally significant landmark that has in recent decades reflected the challenges facing the city: deteriorating infrastructure, economic hardship, and a rising demand for affordable housing. Built in the 19th century and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, this structure once stood as a testament to Lewiston's industrial prosperity.

Wedgewood House, Lewiston, Maine. Photo courtesy National Park Service.

Community Challenge

During its early years, Lewiston was a thriving mill town, and the Wedgewood House symbolized the wealth and influence that this economic boom brought to the area. However, as the city's fortunes waned, the neighborhood surrounding the Wedgewood House fell into decline, with many of the public housing units outdated and no longer meeting the community's needs, which is the most diverse in Maine.

In addition to the physical deterioration, the Tree Streets neighborhood has faced social challenges, with limited access to services, high unemployment rates, and concerns over public safety. These factors and the Wedgewood House's deterioration have created a sense of instability and underinvestment in the Tree Streets neighborhood, making it a prime candidate for redevelopment.

Planning Solution

Choice Neighborhoods, a program created by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), aims to transform struggling neighborhoods with distressed public or HUD-assisted housing into vibrant, mixed-income communities. In 2020, Lewiston was the smallest city in the nation to receive funding from the program. The award launched Lewiston's Choice Neighborhood Planning and Action Grant, a planning process that brings together many stakeholders, including local government, housing authorities, nonprofits, private developers, and community organizations, to create a unified vision for neighborhood revitalization. Together, they have developed a Transformation Plan to improve current public housing, provide new affordable housing options, enhance the surrounding area, and create new opportunities for residents.

The Tree Streets neighborhood is the first to benefit from the city's initiative. In July 2023, the city broke ground on the development, which includes 82 affordable housing units spread across nine buildings, with Wedgewood House as a key focal point. The project's design resulted from extensive community engagement, where residents had a voice in shaping the redevelopment to reflect their needs and priorities.

The partnership between Lewiston Housing and Avesta Housing, a Portland-based nonprofit specializing in affordable housing, was critical in ensuring the success of the Wedgewood redevelopment. The project emphasizes preserving the neighborhood's character while introducing modern housing standards that better serve Lewiston's diverse population.

The project's funding reflects a holistic approach: 70 percent is designated for housing, 15 percent for social services, and 15 percent for neighborhood improvements. This allocation ensures that while housing is the primary focus, other aspects like community health, education, and public safety get addressed.

Outcome

Although still under construction, the Wedgewood House redevelopment has already shown signs of positive change. The project will significantly improve housing conditions for low-income residents, providing safer, more modern accommodations that will help stabilize the community. The increase in affordable housing units will allow more families to remain in the neighborhood, avoiding the displacement often accompanying urban redevelopment projects.

In 2024, Lewiston Housing received an additional $2.5 million supplemental Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant to support redevelopment in the Tree Streets neighborhood. This funding will help enhance the project's goals of improving housing, community services, and public spaces. Specifically, the grant will boost the Wedgewood House development, enabling the project to better serve low-income families by providing more resources for infrastructure, services, and neighborhood improvements, further ensuring equitable housing opportunities for the community.

Considerations for Your Community

The Wedgewood House redevelopment offers several key takeaways for communities interested in equity-driven urban planning. Lewiston involved residents throughout the planning stages through community engagement, which increased buy-in and ensured that redevelopment met local needs.

The city's focus on equity in the Wedgewood development balanced historic preservation with the provision of new affordable housing, making it a great model for equitable urban planning. Additionally, Lewiston formed collaborative partnerships between the public and private sectors, which were crucial in securing funding and expertise.

Finally, the project's holistic and inclusive approach demonstrates that comprehensive urban renewal should collectively address housing, social services, and neighborhood improvements.

The Wedgewood House redevelopment demonstrates how equitable urban planning can preserve a neighborhood's cultural and historical character while addressing pressing housing needs. As part of Lewiston's larger Choice Neighborhood Initiative, the project shows that with the right partnerships, funding, and community engagement, revitalizing struggling urban areas can benefit everyone.

Top Image: Lewiston, Maine, iStock/Getty Images Plus - DenisTangneyJr