affordable housing

The program previously served older Mainers living in Androscoggin County but will eventually reach 150 additional homes in Cumberland, Franklin, Kennebec and Oxford Counties.

The top four floors of the six-story building would house 60 apartments, with 80% designated as affordable. The bottom floors would be the home of the service provider, Youth & Family Outreach, and provide childcare and pre-K to 110 children.

Nearly half of the units include some kind of deed restriction for affordability, the highest annual share in 13 years.

The rooms are intended for those who can't yet afford an apartment on their own, as well as for traveling nurses, contractors and other temporary workers who need a place for a short stay.

Out-of-state investors are in the process of purchasing several large parks in southern Maine for tens of millions of dollars each, leaving nearly 700 households wondering whether the new owners will increase the rent or evict them from their homes.

Some of the condos will also come with an attached accessory dwelling unit, which the developers believe will be attractive for multi-generational homeowners or those looking to rent out the unit for extra income.

The proposal calls for redeveloping the mill into nearly 380 apartments, a restaurant area, and roughly 20,000 square feet of both office and light industrial space.

The project was among the first to be funded through the state's Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program, which provides subsidies to developers who build a small number of homes outside Maine's largest cities.

Jon Hough and his partner Lin Brown had been looking for housing ever since they moved into a short term rental in Yarmouth six months ago.

This session brought many wins, allowing developers to chip away at Maine's housing production goals and advocates to help those facing homelessness and tenants struggling to pay rent.