MAHC 5/5: Housing Committee Forwards MAHC Priorities

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MAHC 4 Priority Bills - Signed into Law and Voted in Favor by Housing Committee

1. Signed into Law - LD 144 - Abandoned Municipal Property List to go to Maine Redevelopment Land Bank - Bill Text

2. Maine Liquor Operation Fund Could Extend Proposed Annual Allocation of $40M for Housing Development Through 2028
The Joint Select Committee on Housing held a its Work Session on LD226 today. An amendment was proposed by Chair Pierce and passed by the committee that has LD226 provide $80M over two years from the General Fund and an additional $40M per year through 2028 from the Maine Liquor Operation Fund. This consistent flow of funding will provide a more stable development process that can spark more private investment in developing housing in Maine. The Liquor Operation Fund is a non-lapsing fund established within the bond bank. The bonds it is covering are retiring so it is a new potential source of revenue for housing development. This is an historic step and commitment by the Committee to ensuring all Maine people have a home.

3 and 4. Encouraging ADU Development and Effective Implementation of LD2003 Pass Housing Committee
Today, the Housing Committee held work sessions on LD654 to encourage ADU development, and LD1703 that enables effective LD2003 implementation. The Committee voted in favor of moving both bills forward in favor after discussion and amendments. Ensuring that ADUs are a growing source of housing for Maine people has been a priority for MAHC as part of the comprehensive strategy to address housing in the State. Similarly, supporting the implementation of LD2003 that encourages denser development, and affordable housing density bonuses, has been a focus for MAHC this legislative session. LD1703 did add a delay to implementation so DECD could finalize the rules and provide towns to pass this during their town meetings. This did not reflect any lack of support for LD2003 overall.

Other Housing Related Bills Have Public Hearings
Tue, 5/9 at 1 pm

View Bill Facts Sheets From Policy Action 2023 - GrowSmart ME and Build ME here

LD 1752 - Resolve to Prepare Pre-Approved Building Types Bill Language Talking Points

This resolve directs the state to develop a catalog of engineered-stamped building plans in compliance with the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code. Municipalities may then choose to adopt any or all of the available pre-approved building plans within locally designated growth areas. Communities that opt into approving building types will offer an expedited review process for any proposed development that incorporates the pre-approved buildings. Pre-approved buildings should be prepared so that the detail, design, and material specifications strike a balance between local architectural precedent and the cost of construction. Wherever possible, materials should be specified that are durable, repairable, and will be long-lasting in the local climate. Proposals which include plan sets incorporating best practices and contemporary standards for efficiency and resiliency will be given greater weight in selection criteria by the state. COMMITTEE: Housing

LD 1787 - Resolve Directing the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to convene a stakeholder group tasked with a Comprehensive overhaul and modernization of the State Subdivision Statutes Talking Points Bill Language

This bill will charge the Dept. of ACF, in coordination with the Department of Environmental Protection, to convene a stakeholder group to review the subdivision laws in Maine. The stakeholder group will work to:

Recommend a comprehensive overhaul and modernization of the subdivision laws that promotes development in growth areas
Reduces development pressure in rural areas; protects public health, safety and welfare
Advances state goals to produce affordable housing; and streamlines the development review process.

MAHC is submitting testimony on this because:

- Maine's subdivision law is unusual in that it applies to multifamily housing. That should be examined as part of a broad look at the law

- There are other tools to regulate multifamily housing if the goal is to have some municipal review

- The goals of subdivision review and its application in Maine need to be defined and clarified through this sort of review
- Subdivision review should use a threshold above 3 to a higher number of units/divisions

COMMITTEE: Housing

LD 1810 - An Act to Expand the Maine Historic Rehabilitation Credit Talking Points Bill Language

LD 1810 will expand the Maine Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit by updating the program reporting requirements, improving the small credit to make it more user-friendly and accessible for income-producing property owners, and create a new program to ensure homeowners have the same opportunity. The existing small credit will be increased from 25% to 30% and the qualified rehabilitation expenditure cap will be raised from $250,000 to $1,000,000. It also creates a 25% tax credit for owner-occupied residences and ancillary structures with a minimum qualified rehabilitation expenditure of $5,000 and maximum of $250,000. An additional 5% could be obtained by property owners at or below 120% of Area Median Income, for properties that include an affordable dwelling unit provided to a renter at or below 100% of Area Median Income, or for properties that have been vacant for more than five years. Energy efficiency and resiliency upgrades are included in the qualified expenditures.
MAHC is aware of a proposed amendment that would increase the major rehab tax credit from $5 million to $7 million. MAHC will be supporting this with written testimony.
COMMITTEE: Taxation

Wed, 5/10 at 10 am
LD 1739- An Act to Extend Development District Tax Increment Financing Districts
This bill allows a development district that is a tax increment financing district to be extended an additional 30 years if the district uses at least 51% of state tax increment revenue for affordable housing or transit-oriented development.
COMMITTEE: Taxation

Fri, 5/12 at 9 am
LD 1673 - An Act to Encourage Affordable Housing and Mixed-use Development by Establishing a Thriving Corridors Program
This bill establishes the Thriving Corridors Program within the Department of Administrative and Financial Services in order to assist municipalities with technical support and funding to redevelop high-impact corridors near downtowns, village centers or crossroads into mixed-use, mixed-income, walkable neighborhoods by infilling and redeveloping underutilized land. Talking Points
COMMITTEE: Taxation

Webinar - Mon, 5/8, 2 pm. Have you ever asked: "Where is the subsidized affordable housing in Maine?" or "What types of housing can households in my county afford?"
Topic: Housing in Maine - Intro to Open-Sourced Data Visualization Tool - 5/8, 2 pm
These and other questions can now be answered through an interactive data visualization tool.
Sarah Sturtevant and Jacob Curtis (Shaw Innovation Fellowship research team and USM graduate/undergraduate students) have built an application based on MaineHousing.org consolidated data, census, NAR and HUD data - and utilizing Microsoft's Power BI technology.
For an introduction to this tool, how to access it and how to use it, please tune in to a zoom webinar (details below) on Monday May 8th at 2:00pm. Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/2862747038?pwd=Sjhya1k4Qjhkdy9lTXB2K3ZEMnphZz09
Meeting ID: 286 274 7038 Passcode: 9aX9YF

Free training- Inflation Reduction Act - Apply by 5/12
This is an 8-month bootcamp on the Inflation Reduction Act that is available to multi-family providers and to HFAs. NHT is pleased to launch its 2023 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Bootcamp series! The Bootcamp will build the capacity of state agencies, developers and housing owners to leverage IRA funding to preserve and improve affordable housing. Participation is free for qualified applicants, per the conditions outlined here. We will implement this free program in close partnership with PWG-member NCSHA and technical experts and practitioners from both the affordable housing development and lending communities. Check the link for applications for the two tracks – one for the bootcamp for HFAs and one for the bootcamp offered to multifamily affordable housing providers. Please share the opportunity with your networks of small- and medium-sized multifamily affordable housing providers and encourage your HFA to participate. They can also access these flyers and register / apply for the bootcamps here.

Want to Sponsor a MAHC Member Event?

If you're interested in hosting or sponsoring a 50+ person MAHC member event, you can show case your organization's work and a tips or a case study you've learned about affordable housing in Maine. Reach out at info@mainehousingcoalition.org. Sponsorship is $500.

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