AUGUSTA - A bill from Speaker Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford intended to grow affordable housing options in Maine was voted on by the Legislature's Labor and Housing Committee today. By a vote of 8-3, the bill was supported by the majority of committee members.
During the work session, Fecteau presented an amended LD 2003, "An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Zoning and Land Use Restrictions." If passed, the bill would:
- Allow Maine property owners to build accessory dwelling units in any residential area and exempts ADUs from municipal growth caps where applicable. They must meet state and local requirements regarding shoreland zoning, water, and wastewater.
- Allow more units to be built on lots where single family homes are already permitted, up to three units on lots with no existing structures and up to four units with no existing structures in these areas:
- a) for municipalities with comprehensive plans, in designated growth areas; and
- b) for municipalities without comprehensive plans, in areas served by public water and sewer.
- Allow the addition of two units on lots with an existing structure. They must meet requirements regarding shoreland zoning, water, and wastewater.
- Provide state support to municipalities through financial and technical assistance as they revisit local zoning regulations not contemplated by the bill.
- Apply density bonuses to areas where multifamily housing is already permitted with a requirement that units designated affordable remain affordable for at least 30 years.
- Align Maine zoning ordinances with the federal Fair Housing Act.
The amendment presented by Speaker Fecteau no longer prohibits municipal growth caps or provides incentives for priority development zones. It eliminates the proposal for a statewide Municipal Housing Development Permit Review Board, the part of the bill that had concerned proponents of local control.
"The lack of affordable housing in Maine has reached a crisis level and we must act. If we can get this bill passed, we are taking the biggest step forward to remove the barriers that stand in the way of increasing housing supply that the state has ever taken. I'd expect Maine to immediately start increasing the number of affordable units in our state, simply by empowering Mainers to contribute solutions to the housing crisis in their own backyards," said Speaker Ryan Fecteau. "I am grateful for the amount of interest in this issue, and the willingness of so many who were constructive and helpful through this process. Our amended bill is a result of collaboration with people from all sides of this issue. Everyone understands we must address the housing challenges we're facing."
Last week, due to the amount of public testimony, the public hearing on LD 2003 was almost eight hours long. The bill received support from a wide array of stakeholders as a step in the right direction to solving Maine's affordable housing crisis, including from the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Maine Peoples Alliance, Maine Conservation Voters, Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA), Natural Resources Council of Maine and Associated General Contractors Maine.
The bill will have a vote before the full House and Senate in the coming weeks.
Contact:
Jenna Howard (Fecteau), 214-3185,