May 1, 2002
Attending:
Hook Wheeler, Sean Sweeney, Marla Major, Terry Kelley, Stan MacDonald, Janet Hamel, Tom Martin, Cheryl Curtis, Sydney Roberts Rockefeller, Ron Beard
Next meeting is set for Monday, May 13 from 8-9:30 at MDI Housing Authority, 80 Mt. Desert Street in Bar Harbor.Ý The agenda will focus on developing a strategy to engage members of theÝ housing industry in the issue of housing and affordability for the families of year-round employees (see below)
Three key agenda items are followed by news and notes gleaned from the groupís check- in process:
The group recognized
that a significant part of the housing issue on MDI is driven by market
forces.Ý The housing industry (realtors,
developers and contractors) have directed their resources so as to develop land
and build or convert housing for (very) willing buyers. The market consists of
year-round employees, retirees, people wanting vacation homes, people wanting
to invest in housing for the summer rental and employee market.Ý If we are to make any significant progress
toward making some of our housing stock (purchase and rental) affordable to
year-round employees, we must work with realtors, developers and contractors.
We might ask them what
incentives would cause them to respond to the issue?Ý What could the towns, employers and other
private-public partnerships do so that the housing industry could respond and
we, as a whole community, can meet our benchmark of 10% of their housing
affordable to year-round employees with incomes of $25-55,000?ÝÝ If we asked key members of the housing
industry to tell us ìwhat are the differences that will make the biggest
difference to housing costs?î, what would they say?
The group decided to develop a strategy to reach out to the housing industry and to bring names of realtors, developers and contractors to the next meeting, so that we can figure a way to reach out to this group to engage them as partners.
Tom Martin noted
that his board of directors (representing member towns of the planning
commission) are supportive of HCPC playing a role in documenting housing needs
for the county.Ý He said that housing
data will likely be focused on the MDI-Ellsworth Housing Market in a first
phase of research, with subsequent analysis focused on Mount Desert
Island.Ý He has begun to seek funding
for staff time in the research.Ý He
noted that Mike Finnegan, Director of the Maine State Housing Authority, will
be speaking at the HCPC annual meeting at 7pm on May 28, at the Ellsworth
Library community room.
He noted that some
housing data may be found at www.mainehousing.org/metacÝÝ
Since the
development costs for housing are related to the number of housing units that
can share electric service, roads, water supply and sewage disposal (large lots
tend to be more expensive, based on the cost of land and lack of any shared
services), and since many people have voted with their pocketbooks to buy and
build on large lots in rural areas, the group wanted to test the local market
for housing that is located more or less close together (but aesthetically
designed), to share services and utilities as well as to share open space.Ý
Related questions
should gauge opinion on whether current and potential renters would choose
in-town apartment housing, (whether over retail stores or in buildings where
two or more families live within one building where developers can reduce
square-foot costs through common foundation, walls and roof, and linked
utilities. (duplex, multi-family buildings, condos or apartments)
And, in addition to
surveying potential buyers and renters, we would need to determine the feelings
about people in each town as to whether they would support changes in current
land use ordinances which would encourage smaller lot sizes for year round
housing and multi-family housing in general and, more specifically, for their
neighborhoodsÖ we might consider asking the questions in such a way to elicit
the kinds of ìconditionsî under which they would find such housing
acceptable.ÝÝ (Like the newly installed
resident who moved from the city to the country and said she would accept a pig
farm in the neighborhood if she didnít have to smell it or hear the pigs.)
Check in news and notes:
Hook Wheeler noted conversations with personnel officers at Hinckley Corporation and MDI Hospital.Ý In the latter case, the most turn-over is in nursing staffÖ in general, nurses seem to be able to find housing, perhaps through networking.Ý
Hook also spoke with Lynn
Bradford at Hinckley Co. Lynn has been the personnel specialist there for about
20 years. She's well acquainted with the housing stock on the island,
particularly in the SW Harbor area. Hinckley is not bringing in a lot of top
management, but when they do the salaries paid do afford those folks the
possibility of a purchase on MDI. Lynn's chief recruiting challenge is skilled
technicians and boat carpenters. Even though they pay from $10-$15 per hour for
skilled carpenters (their biggest need) most can't afford to live on MDI, so
they commute from up to two hours away. They report to her that they would live
closer, on MDI, if housing prices permitted. Her skilled labor is finding it
difficult to rent, not just buy a home. Lynn has seen a tremendous amount of
former year-round rentals, in her area, go to seasonal. She has seen some
movement so that people who used to rent to winter tenants and then weekly to
vacationers, increase the year round monthly rate to $950-1000 so as not to
suffer too much of a loss of potential income from summer rentalÖ and these
landlords are finding that renters will pay the elevated rate just to have a year
round homeÖ she thought it made sense to have some form of dedicated year
round affordable rentals, protected from the market forces to assure some
housing to workersÖ
TerryÝ Kelley reported that he is beginning to see results
of the survey conducted by the Housing Authority, with interviews with
both landlords and tenants.Ý From
another source he said that there are two new houses constructed on MDI
for each new year round resident moves hereÖ Terry also reviewed the
nature of each townís quasi-municipal housing authority, with 5 committee
members appointed by town select boards or council, and two selected (elected?)
by tenants of housing authority apartments.
Marla Majorreported
that a subdivision proposal for Somesville indicated that lots were to be
marketed in the range of $100,000 ñ 150,000.
Stan MacDonald had
held a preliminary meeting of the Mt. Desert (town) Community Trust,
which was set up a decade ago to work on affordable housing, with a current
project to develop 10 acres in Somesville.Ý
The group, which he hopes will expand its mission to be able to work on
an island-wide basis, will next meet at 9:30 am on May 22 in the
Northeast Harbor Public Library.Ý
He will try to schedule a meeting when Terry can attend to share the
details of the successful West Eden Meadows housing development, which targeted
year-round residents, with a mix of income levels.
Janet Hamel noted
reading from the book ìBalancing Nature and Commerceî about gateway
communities, and its case studies, including a performance-based housing
code that looks at housing affordability as one aspect of development
review, and another town that uses impact fees from very
expensive houses to offset town expenditures to make other housing more
affordable to year round employee families.
Sydney Roberts
Rockefeller noted that over 30 people were turned away from a Maine Municipal
Association workshop on planning and development review.
Cheryl Curtis noted interest
by the MDI Rotary Club in housing affordability and suggested that Ron
get in touch with Becky Buyers-Basso to invite her to future meetings in order
to coordinate efforts.Ý Others noted
that housing affordability and the need for year-round communities might also
be an issue of interest to area churches.