The Kennebunk Select Board and Planning Board met last week to discuss the town’s housing needs moving forward.

This year, the town released three action plans: a Climate Action Plan, an Economic Development Plan, and a Housing Needs Plan.

Neighborhoods near Kennebunk High School have seen increased development. In the past couple yeas, more homes have been built along Woodhaven Drive, Longwood Drive and Fletcher Street. Dan King / Post

Chris Osterrieder, Kennebunk Town Engineer, said the Housing Needs Plan identifies where the gaps in housing are and recommends strategies to fill those gaps.

“Kennebunk is a highly desirable community,” Osterrieder said. “A lot of the development is bringing good valuation, but it’s very economically limited.”

According to an infographic about the town’s Housing Needs Plan, households with a median income can not afford a home listed at a median price.

In Kennebunk, the median home price is currently $674,000, while the affordable home price is $214,000, creating a gap between what is available and what is affordable.

Housing in Kennebunk also tends to be ownership-focused, Osterrieder said, which creates another gap in housing because there is limited housing for those who can not afford to purchase a home.

This idea ties directly into the town’s Economic Development Plan, which aims to foster economic growth and vitality, business diversification, and a high quality of life throughout the town.

“If you don’t have a critical element like housing, then you have to work harder to get the workers,” Osterrieder said.

Select board member Lisa Pratt said that while the Comprehensive Plan designates West Kennebunk as a growth area, it would make sense to build housing in neighborhoods close to downtown.

Currently, neighborhoods near Kennebunk High School are seeing increasing development. In the last year, several homes have been built along Woodhaven Drive, Longwood Drive and Fletcher Street.

But the homes being built in neighborhoods close to downtown are single-family, and do not fall under the category of affordable housing.

“Instead of million dollar homes, I would love to see more affordable or multi-family units,” Pratt said.

Pratt suggested building low-income or workforce housing in neighborhoods close to downtown, where many businesses are located.

Transportation can often be an issue for those living in low-income or workforce housing, so close proximity to downtown would make this type of development feasible.

“Low-income housing isn’t what people think it is,” Pratt said. “It can really benefit the community.”

Select board member Kortney Nedeau suggested looking at land areas in town that are not currently being used as potential options for affordable housing developments.

The field at Corning Life Sciences, Nedeau said, is not being used and would potentially make a good location for low-income or workforce housing.

Nedeau also suggested adding a second level to the structures at Shoppers Village that would serve as apartment-style living.

“I feel like we have a few low-hanging fruit opportunities that we don’t attack,” Nedeau said.

Efforts to identify housing strategies are still ongoing, Osterrieder said. The town could look at creating a “suite” of recommendations to offer different housing options in the future.

“We don’t need to do more incentives from the single-family ownership side, that’s working just fine,” Osterrieder said. “We have to look at our zoning and our density bonuses and guide it to areas that we help people.”