Federal action needed as MDI workforce housing proposal advances in US Senate
COURTESY / NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Federal legislation introduced this week would advance a proposal to develop 55 acres of Acadia National Park land for affordable year-round and seasonal housing for residents.
A proposal to develop part of 55 acres near Acadia National Park as workforce housing took a step forward this week when U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, introduced bipartisan legislation to transfer the parcel to the town of Bar Harbor.
The undeveloped land is in the village of Town Hill, which lies on Bar Harbor’s outskirts. Part of the parcel would go to the town and the remainder would be used by the National Parks Service to construct NPS staff housing.
Acadia and several towns have been advocating the idea to create more affordable year-round and seasonal housing on Mount Desert Island.
The bill, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is supported by the National Park Service, the town of Bar Harbor and the Island Housing Trust, which promotes works to advance permanent workforce housing on Mount Desert Island.
“From National Park Service rangers to hotel staff in Bar Harbor, workers on Mount Desert Island play a vital role in our state’s economy and deserve access to high-quality, affordable housing,” King said in a news release. “As Acadia’s visitation rises and the need for staff to support tourism increases, it’s imperative the availability of affordable housing keeps pace.”
Collins noted that a lack of affordable housing has contributed to workforce shortages and created significant hardships for employees who commute from off-island.
“This bipartisan bill would expand the supply of much-needed workforce housing on MDI, helping to ensure that employees have an affordable place to live and strengthening the economy in the region,” she said.
Bar Harbor Town Manager Kevin Sutherland noted that Mount Desert Island, like much of Maine, is experiencing an extreme housing shortage.
“Families and future residents most greatly impacted by this shortage include the workforce that supports and creates our community,” he said.
The situation is illustrated by the phone calls and emails that the trust receives weekly from people looking for affordable housing. Some have taken jobs in the area but can’t find a place to live.
“When workers can’t find housing, businesses struggle to find workers, leading to businesses reducing hours or even shutting their doors permanently as we experience high visitation and high demand for services. This is a real crisis,” said Island Housing Trust Executive Director Marla O’Byrne.
“We need workers who provide the vital services that make a community strong and resilient, and they need homes.”
The National Park Service acquired the undeveloped parcel as a donation from John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1960, as an addition to Acadia. The business magnate and philanthropist had a summer home on the island and was responsible for developing Acadia’s 57-mile system of carriage roads.
In 1986, federal legislation that established a permanent boundary for the park also directed the National Park Service to convey the Town Hill parcel, without monetary consideration, to the town of Bar Harbor so that any town on the island could develop it as a centralized solid waste transfer station.
But the transfer never occurred and the need for a centralized transfer station has diminished in recent years.
The new legislation would amend the existing requirement and would allow the National Park Service to retain up to 15 acres to address its own housing needs.
If passed, the legislation would direct the NPS to work with the towns and other stakeholders on MDI to develop a plan to use the Town Hill parcel for affordable year-round and seasonal employee housing.
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