January Local Housing Policy Report
 

Highlights:


Portland: 100 new units have been approved in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood, 255 units proposed at Thompson’s Point. The city received $2 million in federal funding for the Franklin Street Redesign Project.   


Westbrook: Two major housing projects proposed in Westbrook to total 849 units, (article here). 


South Portland: The City Council approved residential development at the Shipyard location, with buildings up to 6 stories.


Yarmouth - Council approves Royal River dam removal to restore waterway and its inhabitants (article here).


North Yarmouth & Cumberland; Open Seats: North Yarmouth and Cumberland have open seats for planning and selecting board positions. We already have a strong presence of REALTORS® in municipal government, but there’s always room for more!


Great Article on the Missing Middle Housing:

Check out this insightful piece by the Bangor Daily News (article here) on the concept of "missing middle" housing. If you're not familiar with the term, it refers to the housing that often gets overlooked in development discussions - those buildings that are too small to be considered large-scale developments but too large to be classified as affordable housing. These types of homes can be challenging to get approved and difficult to build, yet they play a critical role in addressing housing shortages.  


Save the Date!

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for LPAC’s in-person member meeting on March 4th. You won’t want to miss it! 


Have an idea about a topic? Reach out: Advocacy@greaterportlandrealtors.com

Town by Town Issues & Happenings:


Cape Elizabeth


Cumberland


Falmouth


Freeport

  • 2/28 Short-term Rental Registrations Due - More Info here 
  • Design Review Ordinance Update- new construction, additions, and renovations in Downtown Freeport. The Design Review Ordinance was created to help ensure Freeport’s historic buildings are preserved, and that new construction fits in Downtown. More Info here. 
  • Housing Projects: 
  • Preliminary Subdivision plans for an Affordable Housing Development on a portion of land with frontage on Varney Road - Forty-two dwelling units 
  • Freeport Climate Action Plan here.
  • Freeport Comprehensive Plan Update here.
  • Calendar and agendas here


Gorham

  • The Gorham Planning Board, on Monday, moved a contract zone request to a public hearing and vote next month. 
  • Proposed 824 multifamily residential units in a mixed-use development with townhouses, apartments and condominiums, covered here by the PPH
  • RFP: Robie Park Project - Phase One
  • Pre-bid meeting on January 21st at 1pm in the Conference Room B (Room across the hall from the Community Development Office, 2nd floor). Bids are due in Town Hall by Thursday, February 6th at 1pm.  RFP Description here.
  • Gorham seeking citizen volunteers for various boards and committees to serve a 3 year term. Applications Due 1/23 Apply here.
  • Planning - 1
  • Economic Dev - 3        
  • The Gorham Town Council is starting to lose support for the Gorham Bypass 
  • Substantial projects in Standish, residents worry about the additional traffic  
  • 155 condo units off of Bonny Eagle Rd 
  • 60 apartments - 5 three story buildings with 12 units each - off of Rose Ln 
  • Developers looking at up to 200 units on land adjacent to Standish Hannaford.
  • Town Council agendas


Gray


New Gloucester


North Yarmouth


Portland


Pownal


Scarborough


South Portland

  • 1/9 South Portland Comprehensive Plan Committee (CPC) meeting, the committee voted to allow residential units in the shipyard district up to 6 stories tall, not including the ground floor (which could be parking or commercial). You can watch the meeting here
  • Developing a coastal resilience and overlay zone for coastal construction to avoid mitigation 
  • City Announces Changes to Improve Development Review and Permitting, changes covered here
  • City Council seeking support from legislative delegation for: property tax reform/relief. The City Council is asking legislators to:
  • Substantially increase the Homestead Exemption, and fully fund the lost revenue reimbursement to municipalities;
  • Authorize a real property transfer tax that is paid at the time real property is sold;
  • Authorize local option taxes that allow cities to impose local sales taxes;
  • Increase the property tax fairness credit and consider additional, means-based property tax relief programs;
  • Increase state revenue sharing and/or revamp the formula so that communities with high values and lower tax rates are not penalized; and
  • Limit the allowable annual increase in assessed value of residential property used as a primary residence.
  • Current South Portland building projects here.
  • South Portland Newsletter here
  • South Portland City Council and Planning Board agendas


Westbrook

  • Building boom to reduce Westbrook housing shortfall, covered here by the PPH 
  • Ward 1 seat on the board Open Council is expected to fill the vacancy in January after reviewing a list of applicants. 
  • Westbrook Housing Authority officially opened its Stacey M. Symbol Apartments at 68 Nicklaus Lane, 60 affordable housing units for senior citizens, covered here by the PPH. 
  • Proposed residential complex with 110 market-rate rents on the horizon for Westbrook, covered here by the PPH 
  • In Westbrook, $21M Stroudwater complex opens with 55 apartments, covered by Maine Biz here
  • In Westbrook, Two separate Westbrook apartment complexes are in the final stages of construction, and will add 115 total units of affordable housing to the city by this fall  Covered by MaineBiz here
  • Meeting and events calendar.


Windham


Yarmouth


Other State/National
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