Maine Could Be the Third State To End Single-Family-Only Zoning

Maine is embracing new California-style laws aimed at reducing restrictions on new housing. It could soon run into some of the same problems encountered by the Golden State’s reforms.

Last week, the Maine House of Representatives passed L.D. 2003. The legislation legalizes “missing middle” housing options such as accessory dwelling units and duplexes, gives state officials the power to set housing production goals, and requires local laws to “affirmatively further” those goals.

The bill now heads to the Maine Senate, where it has already been approved once before.

The measure has attracted bipartisan support, reflecting a growing consensus that local governments’ zoning regulations are making housing unaffordable and that state preemption of those regulations is one means of bringing housing costs down and returning rights to property owners.

“The lack of affordable housing in Maine has reached a crisis level,” said House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D–Biddeford), the chief sponsor of L.D. 2003, when the Senate first approved the bill. “This legislation could create more housing opportunities in every community in Maine.” – READ MORE