River’s Edge Apartments, a 41,000 square-foot affordable housing complex overlooking the Winnipesaukee River in Laconia, officially opened its doors on Friday, August 19, 2016. A ceremonial ribbon cutting, held on site by The Laconia Area Community Land Trust, marked the culmination of over a year of construction to turn an abandoned downtown site into a vibrant riverside living community.
“The Eckman team is proud to help bring an affordable living option like River’s Edge Apartments to the residents of Laconia,” said Preston Hunter, Vice President, Eckman Construction. “Congratulations to the folks at the Laconia Area Community Land Trust for their vision and perseverance.”
The three-story, 32-unit building is comprised of 12 one-bedroom and 20 two-bedroom fully accessible units. Located on Union Avenue, River’s Edge Apartments are within walking distance of the public River Walk, restaurants, stores, schools, churches, the hospital, a grocery store and more. The affordable housing complex was financed by a collection of organizations including New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, Raymond James, NeighborWorks America, Community Development Finance Authority, the City of Laconia, Belknap County, Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the Laconia Area Community Land Trust.
Before the new apartments could be built, the Eckman team had to remove over 300 tons of contaminated soil from the former industrial site. Now, the three-story building offers a great housing option with on-site parking, laundry facilities, an infant daycare facility that will be operated by the Lakes Region Childcare Services and a 700 foot stretch of frontage along the Winnipesaukee River that offers views of City Hall and the Busiel Mill, two of Laconia’s most recognizable landmarks.
River’s Edge Apartments were originally designed by architect George Hickey of Sanbornton, who passed away suddenly in February 2015. Warrenstreet Architects of Concord managed design services for the remainder of the project.
