Business interest groups, developers and others announced a new coalition Wednesday that will advocate for more housing in Maine.
The group, Build Homes, Build Community, said Maine's housing shortage is affecting businesses throughout the state, including the hospitality and construction industries.
"We're seeing a lot projects that are being permitted," said Will Savage, president of Acorn Engineering, a Portland-based civil engineering and land surveying business. "We're seeing a lot of projects that are ready to put a shovel in the ground, but they're not moving forward currently due to elevated interest rates, labor shortages, which is also directly impacted by housing.
Savage said his company has opened offices in Bangor and Kingfield to accommodate his employees who have been unable to find affordable places to live in the Portland region.
The new Build Homes, Build Community coalition includes the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition and the Maine Real Estate and Development Association.
Laura Mitchell, executive director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, said the new group is focused on lowering construction costs and speeding up the state and municipal permitting process.
"We need to help towns welcome housing. We need that 'yes' to housing coming out of every town in Maine," she said during Wednesday's launch event at the Hannaford corporate headquarters in Scarborough.
Mitchell said the coalition will also advocate for funding new affordable housing construction throughout the state.
Funding for many of Maine's programs that subsidized new funding construction in the wake of the pandemic have since dried up.
A state-commissioned analysis from 2023 found that Maine needs more than 80,000 new homes by the end of the decade to meet current and projected demand.
