The state is launching a new campaign to better educate Mainers about accessory dwelling units, or ADUs.
A Maine law, passed more than two years ago, requires municipalities to allow at least one ADU on any lot with a single-family home.
Despite the law, ADUs are generally not the norm throughout the state, said Kristina Egan, executive director of the Greater Portland Council of Governments, which is spearheading the campaign in partnership with the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.
"While they've been around for a long time, they haven't been actively promoted by the state or seen as a big part of the housing solution until recently," Egan said. "Our hope is that more accessory dwelling units will be built."
ADUs are typically smaller homes built on an existing lot and are often seen as a solution for older people looking to downsize, younger families just starting out, or even as rental properties.
"It can be attached to a house, it can be separate," Egan said. "It can be for your adult children, for your parents who are getting older."
Egan said the costs of construction and financing remain challenges for people who want to build an ADU. But she said the benefits, such as having loved ones live close by, receiving additional income through an ADU rental and supporting Maine's housing goals, are significant.
To better educate property owners, the state has a new website, MaineADUguide.org. It includes an AI tool that property owners can use to help them identify whether an ADU might be allowed on their home lot and what configurations could work best on their land.
As part of the campaign, Portland Mayor Mark Dion appears in a few of the videos promoting ADUs. He said he is considering building one on his property to accommodate his daughter who moved away to raise a family but wants to return home to Maine.
