Housing is a critical issue for the state of Maine, but especially for Lincoln County. As the highest priority issue in our Strategic Plan, housing is a severe concern for workforce, seasonal, and older communities. To begin addressing the housing crisis, LCRPC worked with Camion Associates to complete a Housing Needs Assessment, which can be found below, along with L.D. 2003 information and housing assistance information.
LCRPC, in collaboration with Camoin Associates, completed a county Housing Needs Assessment. The study found that the County needs to add at least nine hundred affordable units to house working families and older residents of modest means. By diversifying the housing stock in Lincoln County, critical jobs like police, volunteer firefighters, and healthcare workers can continue to live within the county instead of commuting in or choosing to work for another county.
On May 25th 2023 Camoin Associates presented an overview of the Housing Needs Assessment at the LCRPC office. You can view the recording of this presentation below and the slides are available here.
L.D. 2003 is An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Zoning and Land Use Restrictions. The bill was passed by the State Legislature and signed by the Governor in April 2022. The law went into effect July 27, 2022, however, a majority of the bill’s requirements do not take effect until July 1, 2023. This law is designed to remove unnecessary regulatory barriers to housing production in Maine, while preserving local ability to create land use plans and protect sensitive environmental resources. The law does this by allowing for Accessory Dwelling Units which are additional units on a single-family lot. Municipalities can choose to limit the number of ADUs that can be built, one must be allow and up to four may be allowed.
Growth areas are defined in two different ways. First, a town may define a growth area in its comprehensive plan. This would help the town guide development as the growth areas are typically dense, with public sewer and available land. If there is the absence of a consistent, comprehensive plan, these areas will be defined by three factors:
Area the state defines as "Census Designated Places" and "Urban Compact" can be found here.
LCRPC and MCOG hosted a workshop highlighting L.D. 2003. You can view the recording of the workshop here.
If you have any questions or need assistance, contact Executive Planner Emily Rabbe at erabbe@lcrpc.org or (207) 882-4271
To receive updates from the Department of Economic and Community Development about the implementation of this legislation, please email Housing.DECD@maine.gov
The area is served by public sewer system for growth
The area is identified in the Decennial Census as a "census-designated place" OR
The area is urban compact municipality
"The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Resource Directory was automatically compiled by the HUD Resource Locator to assist low-moderate income families to locate decent, safe, and affordable rental housing and other associated resources. Included is information about apartments for “Elderly and Special Needs Persons”; Privately Owned HUD “Subsidized Housing”; Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Apartments; HUD’s Public Housing Program; Continuum of Care Homeless Points of Contact; and USDA Rural Housing. HUD may subsidize some apartment complexes listed within this document. The monthly rent for some subsidized apartments may be lower than conventional market rates" (HUD).
"The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Find Shelter tool provides information about housing, shelter, health care, and clothing resources in communities across the country" (HUD).
"The Maine State Housing Authority (MaineHousing) is an independent authority created by the Maine State Legislature in 1969 to address unsafe, unsuitable, overcrowded, and unaffordable housing problems. At its core, the agency couples the efficiencies of the private financial markets with public purpose goals to provide affordable home ownership and rental housing opportunities for Maine people" - (Maine Housing Authority).
