Avesta Housing retained S.W.COLE to provide environmental site assessment and geotechnical engineering services for this public housing construction project. The Pearl Place housing development consists of 60 units, 65,000 square feet and two buildings. At the time of construction, the Bayside Neighborhood Association and the City of Portland were redeveloping the residential neighborhood that once thrived in Bayside, and Pearl Place has been a key part of the revitalization of the area.
Our subsurface investigation and subsequent testing found elevated levels of contaminants in the soil at the site. We developed a remedial action plan for the site and monitored the earthwork during construction to oversee implementation of our remedial plan. Two years after submitting a VRAP application for assistance to MDEP, S.W.COLE submitted a VRAP Remedial Action Completion Report.
The project has won many accolades. Pearl Place was the first LEED for Homes project in the affordable housing category, the first multi-family LEED for Homes project in Maine, and the first mid-rise building in the country to be certified under the LEED for Homes Mid-Rise Pilot Guidelines.
The project was awarded the LEED for Homes Affordable Housing Award, which recognizes a project and its builder for an outstanding affordable LEED for Homes project. Pearl Place also was the first to meet Maine State Housing Authority’s Green Building Standards.
