Daniel Farrow kept staring down at a single key attached to a red carabiner in his hand Wednesday afternoon.
He choked up as he talked about how the key will change his life and the lives of his family. That key unlocked the door to a brand new townhouse Farrow won, part of the new Maine Woods subdivision in Bangor.
Farrow, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, won the home after writing an essay about his military service and how his life would change if he owned a home. He, his wife Marie Seymour, and 11-year-old son Benjamin will move in Thursday.
“I just want to say to everybody, you’ve changed not only my life but my family’s life for the better,” Farrow said. “I can never begin to repay that, but I’m going to try somehow.”
The townhome was built and gifted by the Emily Ellis Team. It’s one of 60 units being built on a 12-acre parcel off Lancaster Avenue near Essex Woods. Construction is ongoing, with three of the 30 houses built. The 1,532-square foot townhouses will be listed at $265,000, developer Emily Ellis said.
“The intention of the development is to supply affordable new construction for all the people who are looking around Bangor trying to find a place to live,” Ellis said. “We want them. We want their talents, their energy and everything they can bring to our community.
“What better way to set the tone for the Maine Woods development than to have a veteran and his family be the first occupants.”
The Maine Veterans Project picked Farrow after reviewing essays submitted by veterans in the area. Owning a home gives veterans a sense of security and allows them to grow equity, project president Shawn “Doc” Goodwin said.
Farrow was honorably discharged from the Marines in June 2020, a very difficult time to transition out of uniform, he said in his essay. He met Seymour on Oct. 3, 2020, they were engaged in May 2021 and married Sept. 23, 2023.
“Moving into a home at Maine Woods would have a positive impact on my life,” the essay said. “Of all the blessings, mine would be the greatest of all; I would get to watch as my family’s dreams come true around me.”
The development was first approved in September 2022. Neighbors asked for a judicial review of the approval in October of that year. A court found in October 2023 that the planning board incorrectly classified the development.
All work had to pause for Ellis to resubmit the application in November. The project was approved again after weeks-long revision process and impassioned public comment.
Opponents feared the development would increase traffic, erase habitats for wildlife and exacerbate issues the surrounding community has experienced for years, such as lackluster water pressure and poor stormwater drainage.
