PORTLAND, Maine — MaineHealth, the state’s largest medical system, is interested in developing workforce housing units in a historic, 106,000-square-foot building it leases at 222 St. John St., according to meeting minutes posted on the organization’s website this month.
A MaineHealth spokesperson confirmed the interest this week but said discussions with an unnamed developer were still in preliminary stages.
If the plans go through, it would be MaineHealth’s largest foray into residential housing development. Some of the units would be set aside for workers at its nearby Maine Medical Center hospital campus, the minutes state.
MaineHealth already owns and rents 44 units inside a 19,000-square-foot building at 25 Crescent St. Those apartments are mostly temporary housing for medical students, new Maine Medical Center employees and short-term contract employees.
Additionally, MaineHealth is the landlord to dozens of neighborhood businesses and restaurants at Union Station Plaza, also on St. John Street, which it bought in 2022 for $16.8 million. The sprawling organization also owns nearby buildings housing Pizza Villa and D’Angelo restaurants.
The posted minutes come from the Feb. 14 monthly neighborhood advisory committee meeting, which MaineHealth holds with representatives from nearby neighborhood associations. One of them, the St. John Valley Association, includes the neighborhood around 222 St. John Street.
The meetings are not open to the public.
Known as the Maine Central Railroad Building, the massive brick and granite building in question sits next to the former Union Station, which was torn down in 1963 to make way for a strip mall. The Maine Central building housed the company’s main office and is shaped like a giant letter “E.” It was constructed in stages between 1888 and 1916 and is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.
The building is now owned by a subsidiary of Maine real estate development firm East Brown Cow LLC. MaineHealth holds a multi-decade lease on the structure.
Though the Railroad Building retains many of its original period details, including dark woodwork, built-in safes and skylights, it’s currently in poor condition.
“The building needs significant investment,” said MaineHealth spokesperson Matt Wickenheiser. “We believe its layout lends itself to potential residential development.”
Wickenheiser said the building is less than 50 percent occupied at this time, as MaineHealth has not been renewing tenant leases when they expire. Among the businesses that remain are a therapist office, a hair salon and Margarita’s Mexican restaurant.
Gary Bowcott, a member of the St. John Valley Association, welcomes the housing news.
“We’ve always supported more housing for the neighborhood. It’s a good thing,” said Bowcott, who is part owner of three downtown restaurants. “The city is in a crisis. Most of my employees have to live in Westbrook, Biddeford or Saco.”
He just wishes it wasn’t MaineHealth doing the developing.
The St. John Valley Association has a long and contentious relationship with the enormous health care organization. Maine Medical Center dominates the local skyline, and MaineHealth has recently bought large swaths of real estate in the neighborhood and also built an eight-story employee parking garage on St. John Street, with 24/7 shuttle bus service to Maine Medical Center.
The advisory committee meeting minutes also reflect some of the general neighborhood apprehension about the hospital.
“Several community members commented that it would be beneficial if Maine Medical Center/MaineHealth were more transparent with the neighborhood advisory committee,” the minutes state.
But this week, Wickenheiser said it’s too early to get into development specifics.
“All I can say is, discussions are very preliminary, and there’s really no details to share at this point,” he said.
