Business

A report from 2024 revealed that Maines housing stock would need 84,000 new homes by 2030 in order to solve its housing shortage. Now, a new report from the independent firm HR&A Advisors has outlined a roadmap with several suggestions for the state to reach that goal.Then, each recommendation is divided into three major strategies: Streamlining Processes and Building Public Capacity, Incentivizing Production and Increasing Transparency, and Strengthening the Private Sector.Laura Mitchell from the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition says many of the ideas in the report reaffirmed things they have already been advocating for.A lot of the recommendations were things that we’ve been talking about and advocating for, from investing in the state historic tax credit to improving regulatory processes and permitting in the state and local, and so we’d love to see that, Mitchell said.The report also suggests that the state provides incentives to certain communities where more housing is needed.Thats something new, Mitchell said.Many developers, including Mitchell, say that one of the biggest bottlenecks for them is the long, convoluted regulatory processes that come with developing property.Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford says that reevaluating and streamlining some of those regulations, like environmental regulations can help Maine build houses faster.Its OK to look at our regulations. Maybe they’re not really serving our purpose now. Maybe we need to streamline them, Bennett said.Bennett says hes personally focused on getting the state to embrace modular homes, which are built in a factory and then delivered to the site where it will stay permanently. The roadmap suggests looking at modular homes, as well as tiny homes and 3-D printed homes.I think we need to really adopt a lot of innovation, Bennett said. Stimulating startups to try new approaches to the construction of housing in Maine, because it would be best if we can get to a point where we’re solving the housing crisis here in Maine, using Maine raw materials, employing Maine people to build the solutions.Mitchell says that shes optimistic that this new report will be enough to propel lawmakers to meet their housing goals for 2030.The state has made historic investments in affordable housing in the last legislature, in the last four years, and I expect that to continue, she said.