"I support this because it's going to get us water and sewer." That was Town Councilor Seven Siegel in March 2025, explaining his vote for the Gorham Fairways contract zone, as reported by the Press Herald. The contract zone covered a housing development, but Siegel's stated reason was utilities.
In Gorham's largest projects, single-family lots are a small part of the plan, and in at least one case they were approved partly so they could be sold first to pay for utilities. If you are comparing Gorham with neighboring towns, the order things get built in matters as much as the price.
A House Needed Special Permission on McLellan Road
The Gorham Fairways site is the former golf course on McLellan Road. It sits in the South Gorham Crossroads District, and the Press Herald reported that single-family homes are not allowed under that district's zoning. To put any houses there, Nick Troiano of Troiano Properties needed a contract zone, which the Town Council approved 4–3 on March 4, 2025, according to the Press Herald's report on the vote.
The terms tell you how the project is financed. The concept at the time was 824 multifamily dwellings on 170 acres, including townhouses, apartments and condos. The contract zone allowed lots for 64 single-family houses, duplexes or tiny houses "to be sold upfront to pay for the extension of water and sewer." Troiano said the sewer would run from Libby Avenue, cross New Portland Road and follow Brackett Road to McLellan Road. Community Development Director Tom Poirier said the contract language requires water and sewer to be installed.
So the houses were never the main product. Under the contract zone's terms, they were a way to raise money early to bring utilities to a site where most of the units will be attached housing. The council split on whether that trade was worth it. Councilors Lou Simms and Phil Gagnon and Chair Suzanne Phillips voted no, and Gagnon said he did not see a large-scale benefit from extending water and sewer.
What the Planning Board Has Actually Approved
The concept changed once it reached the Planning Board. In November 2025, the board gave preliminary approval to the first five phases of what is now called Fairways South: 515 units, made up of 75 single-family homes and 440 multifamily units, plus six commercial buildings in phase 3. On June 1, 2026, the board gave final approval to phases 1 and 2. Phase 1 is 75 single-family lots along the southern and eastern side of the site. Phase 2 is six three-story condo buildings with 12 units each. A loop road connecting to McLellan Road will serve both. Troiano told the Press Herald that site construction would begin this fall.
The single-family lots are phase 1. That order matches the sequence the contract zone set out, with lots that could be sold upfront to fund the water and sewer extension, though the reporting on the final approval does not say how phase 1 is being financed.
Here is everything moving through Gorham's approval process as of mid-October 2026:
| Project | Location | Single-family lots | Condo or multifamily units | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairways South, phases 1–5 | McLellan Road | 75 | 440 | Phases 1–2 final approval June 1, 2026; phases 3–5 preliminary |
| Robie Street | 12 Robie St. | 91 | 474 | Preliminary approval Feb. 2, 2026 |
| Southridge | 157 South St. | 0 | 21 to 22 | Preliminary subdivision approval Sept. 14, 2026 |
| Thistlewood Petit | 34 County Road | 0 | About 30 | Approved week of Oct. 2, 2026 |
That is roughly 1,130 homes, and 166 of them are single-family lots, or about one in seven. Gorham is adding housing quickly. Most of it is attached.
Robie Street Grew, and Only the Apartments Did
The Robie Street project shows the same pattern. It sits on 131 acres behind Village Elementary School and is being developed by Vincent Maietta and Gorham native Kendrick Ballantyne of KV Enterprises. The town had previously supported 391 units there. In October 2025, the developers presented a 511-unit plan. By the time the Planning Board granted preliminary approval on Feb. 2, 2026, it was 565 units: 91 single-family lots and 474 multifamily units in eight buildings of four or five stories.
The plan is 174 units larger than the version the town had supported, and the 91 house lots are a small share of the result. The approval on record is the preliminary decision in the town's Planning Board results. The project still needs a final vote. The pattern matches McLellan Road: more homes in larger buildings, with house lots in a supporting role.
The Price Tier the Pipeline Is Building
Two smaller condo projects show what most of this new housing is likely to cost.
At 157 South St., developer Anthony Fernandez proposed Southridge Condominium Association: identical two-bedroom units of about 1,020 square feet on 4.3 acres. He estimated prices of about $370,000 to $430,000 per unit and a total construction cost of about $7 million, according to the Press Herald in August. Notes from an August 25 site walk describe the plan as reduced from 22 units to 21. The Planning Board's September 14 results, which record preliminary subdivision approval, still list 22.
Off County Road, which is Route 22, the Press Herald reported that Thistlewood Petit Condominiums was approved in early October after a review that lasted a year and a half. The town's review documents call it Thistle Petite. It sits behind the commercial building at 34 County Road owned by the landscaping company Bee and Eez. The units are one-bedroom, 75% are reserved for residents over 55, and one unit is already built and for sale.
Now compare those prices with the county. In the July through September 2026 rolling quarter, existing single-family homes in Cumberland County sold for a median of $614,950. That was up 1.64% from $605,000 a year earlier, on 1,018 sales compared with 1,027, according to the Maine Listings September 2026 report. Southridge's projected range is about 60% to 70% of that number. A 1,020-square-foot condo and a typical county house are different products, so the comparison doesn't say one is a better deal. It shows where Gorham's new housing is priced. Most of the new units are aimed at buyers who are priced out of the county's single-family median.
Those are also the buyers most affected right now. In the same report, Maine Association of REALTORS President Judy Oberg said mortgage rates were "at the highest levels in three years." She also said higher rates without matching price drops had "sidelined some buyers, especially first-time buyers with no equity from previous home purchases." Statewide, September 2026 sales fell 4.15% from a year earlier to 1,526 homes, while the median price rose 2.6% to $415,000. The report did not publish a Gorham-only figure, so the county and state numbers are the closest benchmarks.
How the Build Order Shapes a Gorham Search
The financing structure has practical effects for a buyer looking at Gorham:
- The new houses are tied to utility phases. At Fairways South, the 75 single-family lots are phase 1, and the contract zone allowed house lots there to be sold upfront to fund the water and sewer extension. A buyer who wants one of those lots is buying into the start of a multi-phase project. The condo buildings, and later the commercial buildings planned for phase 3, come after.
- Approvals happen in stages. Fairways South has final approval only for phases 1 and 2. Robie Street has preliminary approval only. Southridge has preliminary subdivision approval. A project's stage in the Planning Board process tells you how settled its layout and unit count are.
- Unit counts can still change. Robie Street went from 511 units in October 2025 to 565 by February 2026. Southridge's records list two different unit counts. Fairways went from an 824-unit multifamily concept to a five-phase, 515-unit plan. If a nearby parcel matters to you, the current town record is the version to check.
- Road construction comes with the projects. The Fairways sewer route runs along Libby Avenue, New Portland Road and Brackett Road. A buyer weighing homes along those roads is weighing a construction corridor too.
The town posts Planning Board agendas, review memos and results on gorhammaine.gov. The status of any of these projects can change at the next meeting.
Common Questions
Can I buy a new single-family lot in Gorham today? Fairways South phases 1 and 2 have final approval, and phase 1 includes 75 single-family lots. Troiano said in June that site construction would begin this fall. Lot availability and pricing were not part of the public reporting.
Why couldn't the McLellan Road site simply be zoned for houses? The Press Herald reported that single-family homes were not allowed under the South Gorham Crossroads District's zoning, so the council approved a contract zone for this site. The town's community development director said its language requires water and sewer to be installed.
Is the Robie Street project definitely going ahead? It has preliminary approval from February 2, 2026. Final Planning Board approval is the remaining step on record.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. If a contract zone, condo association or financing question affects your purchase, confirm the details with an attorney or lender.
Veronica Schneider and the Green Tree Realty team follow Gorham's Planning Board record and can show you where a home or lot sits in a project's approval and build order, and what that could mean for its price and resale. Schedule a consultation to go through the projects that affect your search.
