So Maine says we need 84,000 more homes by 2030. Whatever happened to starter houses?
These two-bedroom ranches, two-bedroom raised ranches and two-bedroom capes with an unfinished second floor for future expansion on a small lot were prolific at an earlier time in Maine. There are numerous examples on 50-foot-by-100-foot lots throughout Portland and other towns.
Cities and towns need to downsize their buildable lot sizes and work with small and large home builders to get these built. Homes like these are what most Mainers want and can afford, not the new large homes with all the bells and whistles. Where are the mega builders who build out 10,000 houses on one large acreage site with a 10-year buildout like they do in Florida?
These kind of efforts are the ones that will get Maine those 84,000 houses. If you build it, they will come.
Peter Ferrante
Portland
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