Voters in the Town of Cumberland resoundingly defeated the controversial proposal to construct a 107-unit affordable housing development on the municipally-owned land located on Drowne Road.
2,545 Cumberland voters — representing 68.6 percent of those who cast ballots Tuesday — rejected the proposed development, while just 31.4 percent — or 1,163 voters — expressed support for the project moving forward.
Of the 107 units that were slated for construction, there would have been 71 one-bedroom apartments, 21 two-bedrooms, and 15 three-bedrooms. Thirty-six of the one-bedroom units were to be reserved for senior citizens.
The most recent design for the development indicated that all 36 senior units would have been in one building, while the remaining apartments would have been split between two additional buildings.
Eligible to rent in the development would have been households earning less than 60 percent of the area median incomes (AMI), which falls between $49,740 and $70,980 depending upon the size of the household.
One-bedroom units were going to be available for $1,332 a month, two-bedrooms for $1,597, three-bedrooms for $1,647.
[RELATED: Cumberland Voters to Weigh In On Controversial Drowne Road Affordable Housing Proposal]
The project was estimated to raise the town’s annual non-educational expenses by $24,248.
According to figures provided by the town, Cumberland’s per pupil expenses are $16,230. Westbrook Development Corporation — the developers responsible for the project — suggested that as many as 36 children could have end up living in the Drowne Road apartments.
While supporters of the project lauded it as a way to increase affordable housing and help those who work in Cumberland to afford to live there, opponents raised concerns about the impact it could have on existing taxpayers, as well as the town’s education system.
Those who already live on or near Drowne Road also voiced worries about the possibility of increased vehicular traffic to the area as a result of the development.
Affordable housing has been a topic of discussion in Maine for some time now, particularly with the release of the state’s Housing Production Needs Study this past fall, which found that approximately 84,000 more homes will be needed in the state by 2030.
Many municipal-level discussions of affordable housing have centered around a 2022 state law — LD 2003 — that required a number of amendments be made to local zoning ordinances in the name of improving affordable housing access.
Six of seven members of the Cumberland Town Council voted to put final approval of the Drowne Road Project before residents as a referendum.
The question presented to voters on March 5 read:
Shall the Town Council accept the proposal from Westbrook Development Corporation dated November 2, 2023, and subsequent site plan proposals for the development of 107 affordable housing units to be constructed on Town-owned property located off Drowne Road adjacent to Town Hall?
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="26309 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=26309">2 Comments
No such thing as “affordable housing” it is taxpayer funded housing. Enough of the deceptive buzz words.
This is the same town that allows pornography books in school libraries but can’t muster more than a dozen residents at a school board meeting to remove them.