CARRABASSETT VALLEY – The affordable housing crisis generated a lengthy discussion during the select board meeting Monday night.
The item on the board’s agenda was to see if the board would move forward with a proposal from the Workforce Housing Coalition to pursue a possible option for a workforce housing development on the town’s Public Lot.
The coalition has been researching options within the town of Carrabassett Valley. Due to the terrain of the town and the available parcels for purchase, the coalition identified the town’s Public Lot as one of the few viable options for an affordable housing development.
Because of the deed covenants that were imposed on the lot when the Town of Carrabassett Valley purchased the property from the State of Maine, the town would need legislative action to ease the deed covenants to allow such a project to occur. Town Manager Dave Cota met with local legislature representatives last week and brought the issue to the select board for the first time Monday night.
Previously the town approached the legislature for permissions for the adaptive outdoor education center, to allow camping on the public lots, and to allow business uses for Sugarloaf for a specific area.
Residents of Carrabassett Valley attended the meeting to express concerns over the process, stating that the question should have been brought to the townspeople first before going to the state.
Select board member Lloyd Cuttler, who also has a seat on the Workforce Housing Coalition, presented several reasons why the coalition asked the town to start the process with the legislature before approaching the townspeople. The town has gone through the process of easing deed covenants through legislative action three times in the past, so Cuttler expected the legislative side of things to be the longest and hardest part of the process. In addition, the legislature is only in session until June; if they do not get a legislative document (LD) in the lineup before June, they may not have the opportunity for another two years.
Cuttler, along with Cota and select board member John Beaupre who is the chair of the Workforce Housing Coalition, said that securing an LD to allow a workforce housing development on the town property would only open the door to allow the town to research and discuss the proposal. If the town secured an easement of the deed covenant, there would likely be a number of safeguards such as a sunset provision and restrictive parameters around what development could take place on the property. Even if the state passed the proposed easement of the deed covenant, a lengthy process through the town would still be required before any possible development would take place.
Residents also expressed concerns about the potential loss of recreation land. Cota noted that between the town’s public lots, the Crocker Mountain Preserve, and the Bigelow Preserve, there are thousands of acres of public land in the town; the current proposal would impact approximately eight acres of land which is not currently developed for any recreation purposes or trails. Deb Bowker, the head of the Recreation Department, shared concerns that the town’s rec committee was not involved in any discussions before this question went to the state.
The other facet of the conversation revolved around Sugarloaf Mountain. Residents claimed that Sugarloaf Mountain is the employer that benefits most from the workforce housing efforts, and that Sugarloaf Mountain is behind much of the housing crisis as it drew numerous people to the area. In addition, residents claimed the lack of restrictions around short-term rentals contributed to the issue as properties that were previously available for employee rentals on a month-by-month basis are now listed at high rates for short-term rentals, allowing more tourists and recreational guests but eliminating housing units for employees.
One suggestion was for the town to adopt an ordinance that would require the mountain to build a certain number of employee housing units for other major developments such as the West Mountain Development. A common thread was the need to include Sugarloaf in the issue.
The coalition is taking a regional approach to the issue, with the towns of Kingfield, Carrabassett Valley, Coplin Plantation, and Stratton-Eustis, along with Wyman Township, contributing to the project. In addition, representatives from Sugarloaf and from Stratton Lumber are on the coalition board.
The current project underway is a development proposal in Kingfield, but members of the coalition who represent Carrabassett Valley reported that there are concerns that the town of Carrabassett Valley may not be contributing to the regional issue. Cuttler said that they would be remiss as selectmen and as a town if they did not pursue their options.
The attendees and the town officials agreed that the conversation with the townspeople could continue alongside the legislative process, if the coalition would hold public hearings and discussions to move the topic forward.
After over an hour of back-and-forth, sometimes heated discussion about the issue, the select board voted 4-1 to move forward with the legislative process. Select board member Karen Campbell voted opposed the issue. She said that she agreed housing is an issue, but she was concerned about the proper order of events. If the legislature agreed to ease the deed covenants for an affordable housing development and then the town voted it down, they would have potentially wasted legislature resources.
With board approval, the legislative process is expected to continue moving forward; when an LD is developed, the progress of the bill can be tracked.
The coalition has more information and a detailed study into the workforce and affordable housing crisis on their website.
In other business the town approved the warrant for the annual town meeting, which will take place Wednesday, March 8. Elections will take place 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the town office, with the annual town meeting at 7 p.m. at the Outdoor Center.
