WMMH plans to hire a professional management company with a Kingfield presence to manage the two buildings in phase 1. We have developed an application that will require the management company to thoroughly check references such as employment and previous landlords. They will also do a criminal background check. In addition, we have developed a list of rules regarding the use of the property that has been reviewed by the select and planning boards and will be part of the site plan review process. We want these properties to be an asset to the Town and a pleasant, welcoming, and quality home for the people and families who will live there.

The MaineHousing funding we hope to receive requires that a capital reserve be set aside for long term maintenance of the property.

The MaineHousing Rural Rental Program requires that “all residents must inhabit the units as their primary, permanent residence”. In addition, we will be requiring all tenants to sign a one-year lease.

For phase 1, WMMH plans to apply for funding through The MaineHousing Rural Rental Program. This program places significant limits on the ability to sell and earn profits. Deed restrictions will be recorded in the Registry of Deeds requiring that the property remain affordable for 45 years. Rents may only increase by increases in the Adjusted Median Income (AMI).

WMMH is a private not for profit organization that is exempt from property taxes. We do however recognize our responsibility to contribute to the costs of local Town services. The Select Board of Kingfield and WMMH have included in the contract zone documents a requirement that WMMH pay an amount annually equivalent to 10% of the rents collected. We anticipate that this will be approximately $15,000 to $20,000 annually.

We hope our first project will be two nine-unit rental properties in Kingfield next to the Dollar General Store. As of November 1, 2023, we have received approval from the Planning and Select Boards for a contract zone that will allow this project to be built and the Select Board has scheduled a Secret Ballot Special Town Meeting for Tuesday January 23, 2024. If voters approve the contract zone, we will submit a final detailed plan for planning board review. We continue to look for property in Carrabassett Valley, Stratton/Eustis, and Coplin. Our intention is to have at least one workforce housing project in each town we serve.

Unfortunately, construction costs and the overall housing market make it impossible for private developers to build housing that is affordable for local workers, which is why we formed this coalition. The state has recognized this problem and created a program to help fund projects like ours. We are in the process of applying for federal and state funds, grants from public and private foundations, and will be engaging local communities in additional grass roots fundraising efforts.

Though we don’t know the exact dollar amounts we will follow the parameters established by MaineHousing. These rents, for 2023, are set at a maximum of $1,136/month for a one-bedroom unit and $1,363/month for a two-bedroom unit. These amounts must include utilities. If utilities are not included the rent must be decreased by $168/month for a one-bedroom unit and $205/month for two bedrooms. These numbers are adjusted annually. The total cost of utilities and rent must be no more than 30% of household income. MaineHousing will also require us to do a market survey to determine the market rents for the region. If the market rents are below the amounts listed above, they will likely require our rents to be lower. We will do a rental study once MaineHousing has approved us for funding, hopefully by the summer of 2024.

No. Workforce housing is NOT Section 8 or low-income housing. Workforce housing targets an income bracket that is higher than that for low-income housing at 80% of the adjusted median income (AMI). In 2023, 80% AMI for Franklin County for a one-person household is $42,450; $48,500 for a two-person household; $54,550 for a three person household; and $60,600 for a four person household. These numbers are adjusted every year and will likely be higher by the time the first buildings are completed.

Historically, workforce housing appeals to middle-class workers like teachers, firefighters, healthcare personnel, manufacturers, bank tellers, librarians, hospitality workers, and postal workers, many of whom are raising young families and eager to contribute positively to their communities.

The first phase of the project we hope to build in Kingfield will be two nine-unit multi-family buildings having a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments. We plan to hire a property management company with a Kingfield presence to provide day-to-day management of these two buildings. Renters will be vetted as active members of the area workforce. Advertising for the initial leasing and subsequent vacancies will be done through local employers. In later phases, we hope to develop and sell single-family homes. We are committed to maintaining attractive, well-managed properties that make living locally realistic for the families and individuals who help our towns thrive.

Over the last several years, the cost of a home in the area has skyrocketed. Today, fewer than one out of every five homes is affordable to a worker earning the area median income of $53,000. For renters the market is virtually nonexistent, with just 4% of the area housing stock available as non-seasonal rental housing. Because of the housing crunch, there has been an outflow of families from the region, our businesses struggle to hire and retain quality staff, and many area workers commute more than 25 miles. These trends stunt the area’s vitality, generational diversity, and economic growth.

The following graph illustrates just how expensive homes have become in Kingfield. In 2014 a home sold for an average of $57.00 per square foot. In 2023 that had increased to an average of $206.00 per square foot.

We are a group of volunteers with deep roots in western Maine. Some of us are descendants of families with long histories here, while others arrived more recently for recreation, got hooked on the area, and decided to stay, opening businesses, and raising children here. Making sure housing remains affordable in western Maine is, for us, a personal quest to preserve the character of the towns we love and make sure many more generations call western Maine home.

We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining the economic and civic health of western Maine by creating permanently affordable, year-round workforce housing for individuals and families in Kingfield, Carrabassett Valley, Wyman Township, Coplin Plantation, and Stratton/ Eustis. We are based in Kingfield with board members from each of the affected towns.