February 27: Right to housing among a flood of proposed state constitutional amendments 

Rep. Benjamin Collings of Portland has proposed an amendment to the Maine Constitution to guarantee citizens' a housing right. However, the broad language of the proposed amendment has left many with questions. RHA President, Brit Vitalius, was quoted in the Portland Press Herald article stating, "I don't know what Rep. Collings means by a 'right to housing,'" Vitalius said. "To government housing? To private housing? The word seems to have real legal implications. Would the state be legally obligated to provide housing to everyone in the state and liable if the housing is not available?" 

Read the full article here. 

February 28: Industry Experts See Portland Rent Control Backfiring Amid Maine Housing Crisis 

RHA President, Brit Vitalius, was quoted by the Maine Wire in a recent story about Portland’s rent control ordinance and its unintended consequences. Vitalius notes, “People who need the help aren’t getting it.” 

Read the full article here.

February 28: Portland Planning Board approves 162 units of affordable housing in North Deering 

A newly approved affordable housing project is expected to add 162 units to North Deering in Portland. Maine Cooperative Development Partners are spearheading the Lambert Woods project at 165 Lambert Street. On Tuesday, they received major site plan approval. 

Read the full article here.

March 1: Proposal to eliminate a Portland rent cap qualifies for June ballot 

The RHA's amendment to improve rent control has qualified for the June ballot! 

"City Clerk Ashley Rand announced Wednesday that the Rental Housing Alliance of Southern Maine handed in 4,013 signatures in support of its referendum, 3,087 of which were verified – more than twice the 1,500 signatures required to get citizen-initiated referendums on the ballot."  

Read the full article here. 

March 2: City of Bangor passes tenants' rights ordinance, but some landlords wonder what's next 

On Monday, The City of Bangor passed a tenants' rights ordinance requiring landlords to give residents 60 days' notice before increasing rent, removal of application fees, and a $75 cap on tenant screening fees. The ordinance will go into effect on March 9th.  

Read the full article here. 

March 2: Newsradio WGAN: Interview with Brit Vitalius 
Newsradio WGAN chats with RHA President, Brit Vitalius, about the Committee to Improve Rent Control and the successful effort to get “An Act to Improve Tenant Protections” on the June ballot.  

“This is one very narrow change that is going to benefit tenants as much as it’s going to benefit landlords and housing in the Portland community. This is not a wishlist for landlords in Portland and it preserves every single tenant protection that’s in the current rent control now.” 

Listen to the full interview here.

February 21: As development around former Scarborough Downs surges, city council looks to slow housing projects 

Scarborough Town Council will hold a public forum next week for a proposed ordinance to regulate “the pace and location of new housing within the community.” Council Chair John Anderson notes the Town Council is considering a limit to development “to 25 units a year in rural zones. Over three years, 300 units would be permitted in certain “growth areas,” and 450 units in the area around the Downs.” 

Read the full article. 

February 22: South Portland considers rent control and homeless shelters 

On Tuesday night, South Portland City Council met and held the first reading of “a draft rent stabilization ordinance.” The proposed ordinance looks to “cap rent increases for current tenants at 10%, but only for landlords who own 15 or more rental units.” South Portland officials are looking at Portland’s rent control measures, says Mayor Kate Lewis, “I have heard some stories from landlords there who are finding it hard to keep with inflation, property taxes, the types of improvements they need to make in their properties.” 

Read the full article here.  

February 22: As CT legislature debates rent caps, I-Team looks at other cities/town with similar rent control 

RHA President, Brit Vitalius, was interviewed by the I-Team at Channel 3 in Connecticut for a recent story on rent control as their state contemplates rent control legislature. “Many of the rents were well below market because that’s just how they go and they all got stuck there... It froze the market at a point in time in 2020 and the entire market just got stuck there.” 

Read the full article here. 

February 22: South Portland apartment complex to open soon for homeless asylum seekers 

Avesta Housing recently received an occupancy permit for the 52-unit community, West End II, and aims to start moving asylum seekers in “within a few weeks.” 

Read the full article here.

February 13: Letter to the editor: Portland landlords’ petition carries upside for existing tenants 

Jody Huntington of Portland wrote a letter to the editor in support of the RHA’s proposed amendment. Huntington notes, “this proposal would benefit both landlords and tenants. It allows landlords to keep existing rent prices stable for their current tenants and, in return, landlords can raise rents to market rates once a tenant moves out.” 

Read the full article here. 

February 13: Bill aims to further protect tenants from landlord retaliation 

Around 30 rental housing providers and advocates testified against LD 45 this Thursday during its first airing before the Judiciary Committee. “All this does is create more hurdles for landlords who want to legitimately evict tenants,” Lawliss said. “Good tenants are almost never evicted. Almost all evictions happen for very good reasons…We are not the enemy.” 

Read the full article here. 

February 14: Bangor considers revised "tenants' rights" ordinance 

Bangor City Council recently held a public reading of a revised tenants' rights ordinance. If approved, the ordinance will “require a 60-day notice of any rent increase, limit the cost of screening fees to $75, and eliminate rental application fees entirely.” 

Read the full article here. 

February 16: Portland approves plan for 179-room hotel 

The Portland planning board approved plans for a 179-room hotel at 385 Congress Street. The top floor will include nine condos. Hotel projects in Portland are required to build “a certain number of low-income housing units based on the number of rooms they have or pay a fee. The developer is opting not to build any affordable housing and pay a fee of $700,000.” 

Read the full article here. 

February 16: Auburn Planning Board denies proposed Phase 2 of Stable Ridge Apartments 

On Tuesday, the Auburn Planning Board rejected a proposal by the American Development Group to add a second phase of construction to their current project, the stable Ridge Apartments at 555 Court St. The proposal would have doubled the number of units to 120. However, Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque notes that the permit denial wasn’t based on facts against the project and “believes the Planning Board will bring the project up for reconsideration next month.”  

Read the full article here.

February 5: Bowdoinham wrestles with future housing ideas

Bowdoinham residents are seeking guidance from the Bowdoinham Planning Board and developers on expanding the “local housing market to include all ages and incomes.” Residents would like to see duplexes “offered as rentals and tax incentives for individuals, not just developers.” 

Read the full article here.  

February 6: Portland landlords seek rent-control change to allow for larger increases when units turn over 

RHA members, read the latest article from the Press Herald that covers our proposed amendment and campaign to get it on the ballot. RHA President, Brit Vitalius, was quoted in the article stating that the proposal is “a narrow and commonsense fix so that Portland renters can realize the actual intent of rent control – to prevent unwieldy and unpredictable increases in rent year to year.” 

Read the full article here. 

February 7: Judge dismisses landlord’s appeal of Portland rent board ruling on increases 

“The city does not plan to collect $15,350 in fines the rent board asked it to consider for Trelawny 657 LLC, saying ongoing cooperation from the landlord contributed to a decision to not impose the fine.” 

Read the full article here. 

February 7: Kennebunk Planning Board eyes implementation of Maine’s new housing law

The Kennebunk Planning Board is looking to put forth Maine’s new affordable housing law, LD 2003, and may put it to the town in June. LD 2003 is designed to “unnecessary regulatory barriers to housing production in Maine, while preserving local ability to create land use plans and protect sensitive environmental resources.”   

Read the full article here. 

February 8: Landlords push to remove 5% rent hike cap in Portland 

RHA President, Brit Vitalius, was interviewed by WGME for a recent story on the proposal to improve Portland's existing rent control ordinance. "[Portland's rent control ordinance] has been bad for the tenant, because what it does is now landlords have to raise the rent, the maximum allowed, every year because you can't catch up," Vitalius said. "I have not talked to a landlord who's not increased their rent in Portland since rent control passed. We have to." 

Read the full article here.

January 30: Lewiston, Auburn’s ‘booming’ housing market takes center stage at annual real estate conference 

RHA President Brit Vitalius was interviewed in a recent article by the Sun Journal on Lewiston and Auburn’s residential market growth. Brit Vitalius notes that if Lewiston and Auburn can balance creating new housing and meeting current housing demands, the area “may fare better than communities like Portland, where they don’t want the rents to go up, but they keep restricting development.”

Read the full article here. 

January 31: Yarmouth moves forward on ordinance to require new affordable housing in town 

On March 8th, the Yarmouth Planning Board will decide on a new affordable housing ordinance put forth by the Affordable Housing Committee. The ordinance “would require developers of larger housing developments and apartment complexes to make at least 10% of those units affordable for those earning 80% or less of the area median income.” Yarmouth’s Director of Planning and Development, Erin Zwirko, notes “Yarmouth does not (now) mandate affordable units within development projects, so there will be a little bit of getting used to should the ordinance be adopted.” 

Read the full article here. 

January 31:  Biddeford City Council hears affordable housing report 

The Biddeford Affordable Housing Task Force made its final report to the city council this week and is recommending the city “work to create or preserve 900 affordable housing units by 2028," create a benchmark that “12.5 percent of all housing units be affordable by 2028," create a housing trust, and work towards addressing housing needs for those “who make 80 percent of the median annual income” in Biddeford. According to Councilor Marty Grohman, the Task Force studied rent control but opted not to propose it because “this is a tool that tends to be counterproductive over time … reduces the quality of the housing stock and leads to condoization (converting apartments to condominiums).”   

Read the full article here. 

January 31: Several proposed bills in Maine legislature aim at helping renters 

Maine legislators have more than a dozen proposed bills aimed at "protecting renters and working to create more affordable housing" this session. Representative Christopher Kessler of South Portland and Cape Elizabeth has five bills put forth. Kessler’s bill LR 86 would “abolish application fees for renters.” Senator Anne Carney of Cumberland has put forth bill LR 47, looking to require “proof that a landlord is evicting a tenant for legal reasons if a tenant challenges them.” 

Read the full article here. 

February 2: Planned Scarborough housing project for disabled gets federal funding boost 

3i Housing of Maine and Preservation of Affordable Housing are partnering for a new project at The Downs in Scarborough that would create more than 50 affordable units for individuals with disabilities. The project has been awarded over $500,000 in federal funding. The building plans to be high-tech, and Paul Linet, president and founder of 3i Housing of Maine, says the funding will help to “implement and analyze the impact of new assistive smart home technologies for low-income people with disabilities.” 
Read the full article here.

January 23: Bangor could approve tenants rights measures next month 

The Bangor City Council will consider in February an updated rent control ordinance. "If passed, the proposed rules would eliminate housing application fees and cap screening fees — which pay for background checks, credit reports and eviction records — at $75." Rental housing providers would also be required to provide two months’ notice before “raising rental fees.” The original ordinance was drafted for review last October.

Read the full article here. 

January 24: Developer releases more details on Bayside project with over 800 housing units 

On Tuesday, Port Property filed with the city of Portland a "master development plan" for over 800 rental units in the Bayside neighborhood. The proposed project includes “804 new rental units, including 201 affordable units and 603 at market rates.” Development is expected to take place over ten years throughout five phases.

Read the full article here. 

January 24: This new initiative funded by the EPA aims to help new Mainers advocate for safe housing 

Nonprofit Healthy Housing with the Rwandan Community in Maine is a new initiative that, by this spring, hopes to be supplying individuals with information regarding tenant rights. The nonprofit is still in its initial stages, with the material currently being developed.

Read the full article here. 

January 25: Project planned for downtown Waterville would provide more than 60 housing units 

Renewal Housing Associates and Northland Enterprises Inc are proposing a new project in downtown Waterville that would create more than 60 units with the potential for two more buildings. The additional buildings would be “subject to a separate board review.” Waterville Mayor Jay Coelho said, “the project is a fantastic idea that will alter the downtown for the better.” 

Read the full article here.

January 25: White House directs federal probe into housing rental market practices 

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden released a "blueprint" described to “advance a stronger, more equitable renter market.” The blueprint is set to “enhance renter protections and crack down on unfair practices.”

Read the full article here. 

January 17: Is Portland’s rent control ordinance working? 

The Portland Press Herald recently interviewed industry partners, city officials, and RHA members alike on the impact of rent control, with those opposed outlining the negative effects on housing. RHA President Brit Vitalius said, “a lot of landlords, especially smaller ones, have found the ordinance burdensome, and some are selling their buildings as a result.”

Read the full article here.

January 17: Seeing progress, Brunswick again extends housing moratorium 

On Tuesday, the Brunswick Town Council voted to extend their housing moratorium for 180 days while the Brunswick Housing Committee aims to develop new policies around affordable housing units and new construction. The moratorium blocks new projects that contain “at least 30 housing units unless at least 15% of those units are reserved for households making no more than Brunswick’s area median income.” 

Read the full article here. 

January 17: Southern Maine residents say they’re being priced out of once-affordable city 

Biddeford recently created an Affordable Housing Task Force to look for solutions to address the city’s housing crisis, while advocating against rent control “because of potential negative impacts seen in other cities…task force members did not feel rent control would help achieve its goals.”

Read the full article here. 

January 18: South Portland wants to take a lighter approach to rent control 

RHA President Brit Vitalius and city officials were interviewed in a recent Bangor Daily News article discussing South Portland’s rent control proposal. “The group that wrote the referendum in Portland didn’t flesh out the consequences,” Vitalius said. “South Portland has had a deliberative process with great input.”

Read the full article here.

January 9: Portland City Council gets first look at proposed Roux Institute rezoning 

On Monday, the Portland City Council got its first look at proposed zoning changes at the former site of the B&M Baked Beans factory. The proposed changes “could make way for a graduate school and research center that would include academic buildings, retail space, a hotel and student housing.” In addition, 175 to 250 new residential units would be expected in the first five years, adding 650 units over the next two decades.   

Read the full article here. 

January 11: South Portland pushes ahead with rent control proposal 

On Tuesday night, the South Portland City Council indicated support for a rent control proposal. The ordinance would “cap annual rent increases at 10% for landlords or companies that own more than 15 rental units in the city." A detailed final draft is coming in the next few weeks.

Read the full article here. 

January 11: Developers, climate leaders hope new Portland complex can be model for the future 

A new condo project in Portland, Solaris: Eco-Lux Condos, is hoping to usher in and provide a new focus on housing sustainability. The seven-unit project is home to a rooftop solar farm which will offset 50% of the building’s electric usage. Jeff Marks, Executive Director of ClimateWork Maine, said, “This is exactly the type of innovative building needed when we think about new construction in Maine.”

Read the full article here.

January 12: Gov. Janet Mills proposes a record $10 billion biennial budget for Maine 

On Wednesday, Governor Janet Mills unveiled her state spending proposal for the next two years. The proposal includes increased funding for “education, health care, childcare, housing, and transportation.” In addition, the budget allocated new funds for housing with “$30 million to expand affordable rental housing options through low-income tax credits and the Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program.”
Read the full article here. 

January 12: Bangor officials discuss distribution of pandemic relief funds 

Bangor City Council met this week to outline how to allocate its pandemic relief funds. $20 million in federal funds were granted to Bangor through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). City Councilor Clare Davitt said that at least $5 million of the funds would go toward housing.   

Read the full article here.

January 3: Early plans for South Portland shipyard redevelopment draw opposition 

PK Realty Management plans to seek a zoning change next to Bug Light Park in South Portland. The zoning change would allow for the “construction of four 18-story buildings overlooking Portland Harbor and Casco Bay.” A rezoning proposal isn’t expected to be submitted to the city until later this month. 

Read the full article here. 

January 4: Council tables new zoning in South Gorham 

On Tuesday evening, the Gorham Town Council unanimously tabled new zoning plans proposed for South Gorham. The proposed zoning changes would have allowed for the addition of multi-family housing and commercial construction while excluding single-family homes. 

Read the full article here. 

January 4: Emergency rent relief unpaid for some approved clients after program ends 

A local social service agency, The Opportunity Alliance, cited a lack of funding as they notified individuals that they would not be able to process rental assistance applications. The Opportunity Alliance informed previously approved individuals that they “will no longer receive the money they expected” for emergency rental assistance. 

Read the full article here. 

January 4: How Rent Control Ballot Measures Are Mounting 

In 2022, 19 states introduced rent control legislation. As rent regulations mount, Jim Lapides, vice president of advocacy and strategic communications at the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), notes “rent regulations can make the affected areas less attractive for development and investment.” 

Read the full article here. 

 

December 27: 35-unit low-income housing complex planned for Millinocket 

Penobscot County commissioners approved the use of $2.2 million to build 35 low-income housing units in Millinocket. A local community action agency will build the complex and “buy and refurbish homes for resale to working families to establish a revolving fund for other similar housing projects.”

Read the full article here. 

December 28: Bar Harbor explores impact fees to prioritize housing 

Bar Harbor Town Council is currently exploring the possibility of impact fees on transient accommodations such as hotels and campsites to prioritize affordable housing. The fee structure and planning process is still underway. Bar Harbor Town Manager Kevin Sutherland notes “the use of fees as a tool to catalyze affordable housing hasn’t been done in Maine” before, “so we’d be the first to look at that.” 

Read the full article here.

December 29: These 4 topics will dominate Maine’s political debate in 2023 

A recent Bangor Daily News article outlines their predicted four major issues that will dominate 2023. The topics included are the governor’s budget, Maine’s electricity future, paid family and medical leave and the housing crisis. Short-term rentals are not expected to be this term’s focus; instead, housing “supply may be the biggest focus.” 

Read the full article here.