Cranes Return Downtown as Three Projects Break Ground

Three major projects broke ground downtown this month, the busiest construction season since 2019. Within two weeks of each other, crews began work on an addition to the main library, a building with 60 apartments for seniors and a new covered transit center on the edge of the downtown core. On a clear morning this week, three tower cranes could be seen from the waterfront, rising over the rooftops like a set of giant drafting tools.

Together, the projects represent about $94 million in public and private investment, according to city estimates. Officials say they will reshape the downtown over the next two years, adding housing, improving bus service and giving the library much-needed space. In the short term, they will also mean noise, detours and some patience from people who live, work and shop downtown.

What’s being built

A library addition, 60 senior apartments and a covered transit center with bike parking. Each project has been in planning for several years, and each was delayed at least once by rising construction costs. City officials say it is a coincidence that all three finally started this fall, but a welcome one.

The library addition

The main library will grow by about 18,000 square feet with a three-story addition on its east side. Plans include a larger children’s room, a teen space with study rooms, a makerspace with tools and 3D printers, and a community meeting room that can hold about 150 people. The addition will be connected to the existing 1904 building by a glass walkway.

The project is expected to cost about $28 million, funded through a voter-approved bond, state grants and private donations. The library will remain open during construction, though some entrances and parking spaces will be closed.

Senior apartments

On a former parking lot two blocks from the green, a nonprofit housing developer is building a five-story building with 60 apartments for residents 62 and older. Most of the apartments will be one-bedroom units, and all will be rented at prices meant to be affordable for seniors with modest incomes. The ground floor will include a community room, a small health clinic and space for a café.

The developer, Cedar Hollow Housing, says the building is designed so that residents can walk to the grocery store, pharmacy, library and bus lines without needing a car. Applications are expected to open about six months before the building is completed.

The transit center

The third project replaces an open-air bus transfer area with a covered transit center. Plans include heated waiting rooms, real-time arrival screens, public restrooms and covered parking for about 120 bicycles. The center will also include charging stations for electric buses, which the regional transit authority plans to add to its fleet over the next several years.

Why now

City planners say the three projects respond to needs that have been growing for years. Library visits have climbed steadily, and the current building, much of it more than a century old, lacks space for many modern programs. The waiting list for affordable senior apartments in the city is long, according to local housing agencies. And riders have complained for years about waiting for buses in the rain and snow at the current transfer area.

“These are not flashy projects,” Mayor Diane Foster said at a groundbreaking ceremony for the transit center. “They’re about everyday life — where people read, where they live and how they get around. That’s what a downtown is for.”

Detours to expect

Parts of Main and Pine streets will close overnight through spring. Crews will close sections of those streets between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. on some weeknights to move large equipment, pour concrete and connect utilities. Daytime lane closures are also planned on a few blocks near each site.

Short-term detours, long-term improvements. We’ll keep the sidewalks open.

Raymond Cole, city public works director

Cole said the city has worked with contractors to keep sidewalks open on at least one side of every street near the projects, and to keep entrances to businesses accessible at all times. Detour signs will be posted in advance, and the city will publish a weekly construction schedule on its website.

Here’s what drivers, cyclists and pedestrians should expect:

• Overnight closures on parts of Main and Pine streets, with posted detours, several nights a week through spring.
• Temporary bus stop changes near the transit center site, with signs at each affected stop.
• Loss of about 90 parking spaces near the library and the senior housing site for the length of construction.
• Construction noise on weekdays, generally between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., as allowed under city rules.
• Covered walkways under scaffolding on some sidewalks next to the library.

The city is encouraging drivers to use public garages, which have plenty of space on most weekdays, and to allow extra time when traveling downtown.

What businesses and neighbors say

Reactions downtown have been mixed but mostly hopeful. Several business owners said they were worried about losing customers during construction, especially during the holiday shopping season.

“I’m glad they’re building these things,” said Ken Alvarez, who owns a sandwich shop across the street from the senior housing site. “But I’ve seen construction hurt small shops before. If people can’t park, they don’t come.” The city’s economic development office said it will run a “Shop Downtown” campaign this winter, including free parking validation at public garages on weekends.

Residents who live near the sites have raised concerns about noise and dust. Cole said contractors are required to water down dirt and cover trucks to limit dust, and that residents can report problems through the city’s service request line.

Others are looking forward to the finished buildings. Margaret Doyle, 74, who lives in an apartment a few blocks from the senior housing site, said she has already asked about applying. “I don’t drive anymore,” she said. “Living downtown, near the library and the bus — that would make a real difference.”

Jobs and local workers

The projects are also bringing work to the area. City officials estimate that the three sites will employ several hundred construction workers at their peak, including carpenters, electricians, plumbers, ironworkers and crane operators. Two of the projects require contractors to make a good-faith effort to hire workers who live within the region, and the library project includes a paid apprenticeship program for high school graduates interested in the building trades.

Danielle Ruiz, who runs a workforce training program at the regional technical center, said several of her recent graduates have already been hired. “These are good jobs, and they’re right here downtown,” she said. “For a young person just starting out, working on a project like a library — something you can point to for the rest of your life — that means a lot.”

When it will be done

All three projects are expected to finish in about two years. The transit center is scheduled to open first, in the summer of 2028. The library addition and the senior apartments are both expected to be complete by late 2028.

The city has set up a construction update page with timelines, photos and a sign-up form for weekly email alerts about closures.

Key takeaway: Downtown is in for two years of cranes and detours, but the result will be a bigger library, 60 new homes for seniors and a warmer place to wait for the bus.

Maple & Main will track all three projects as they move forward, including costs, schedules and how construction affects nearby residents and businesses.