AUGUSTA — There is opportunity to be found in what officials describe as a housing shortage crisis in Augusta.

A forum is planned Tuesday to talk about ways would-be private developers could take advantage of those opportunities while also helping fill the local need for housing, which Amanda Bartlett, executive director of the Augusta Housing Authority, said is at an all-time high.

Amanda Bartlett, director of the Augusta Housing Authority, says the city is full of opportunities for developers who want to construct apartment buildings or rehab others. Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal

“There has been such a significant loss of housing stock, and the age of the housing stock here is also so very old, that replenishment of that housing stock hasn’t kept up with the need,” Bartlett said. “As a community, we need all hands on deck in order to meet the need.”

From 2013 to 2015, nearly 500 rental units, more than one-tenth the city’s rental stock, were lost or were deemed at risk of being lost to fire damage or safety code violations, making for the housing shortage crisis. With that taking place at a time when demand for rental housing is on the rise as retiring baby boomers enter the rental market, opportunities are ripe for development in Augusta, Bartlett said.

So Bartlett and other housing officials hope a forum planned for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Augusta City Center, “Housing Development in Augusta: Opportunities, Trends and Strategies,” will encourage and assist people who may have some money or other capital they’re looking to invest, both for their own financial benefit and for the benefit of those seeking housing in Augusta.

Discussion on Tuesday will include ways the housing shortage could be addressed, opportunities for both small- and large-scale development, historic rehabilitation projects, urban development, adaptive reuse of vacant property, and potential development strategies.

Bartlett said increasing the availability of affordable and moderately priced housing in the city could help draw recent college graduates and young families to Augusta, thus helping stimulate economic growth.

She praised developers such as the local Parkhurst family, which has renovated multiple downtown Augusta buildings into apartments. She also said the recent conversion of the former Cony flatiron building into senior housing and the housing authority’s own under-construction project converting the former Hodgkins Middle School building into senior housing have helped and will help deal with the housing situation, but more needs to be done.

“As wonderful as they’ve been, they can’t transform Augusta on their own,” Bartlett said of the Parkhursts. “The goal of our forum is really to inspire some other folks who’ve looked at what the Parkhursts have done and think it’d be cool if they could achieve the same thing through small-scale development. We’ve had quite a few people call and express general interest, but then for one reason or another they can’t put all the pieces together to make development happen.”

Bartlett said Tuesday’s session will include information on trends and opportunities for development, with a follow-up session planned for the fall, as sort of “small developer boot camp” to provide technical assistance on putting a development deal together. She said funding assistance is out there.

Presenters Tuesday will include Mike Myatt of the Bangor Housing Authority, and local facilitator Frank O’Hara, who will discuss market trends.

Keith Edwards can be contacted at 621-5647 or at:
kedwards@centralmaine.com
Twitter: kedwardskj

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