🔒On the Record: Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman aims to tackle city’s housing shortage

Marty Grohman, a Carthage native now going into his second year as mayor of Biddeford, sat down with Mainebiz at City Hall. Talk ranged from the need for housing, the “Biddesance” that he says is very much still a thing and what the inveterate entrepreneur does when he’s not mayoring.

Mainebiz: What’s been your approach to tackling the homeless problem in Biddeford?

Marty Grohman: I spend a lot of time working on homeless issues. A year ago, we had a growing and problematic homeless encampment. I don’t think it’s safe or appropriate for anybody to be living outside in Maine, so we teamed up with a local nonprofit called Seeds of Hope to open an indoor warming center, supported by MaineHousing. Every Monday at 9 a.m., we hold a ‘homeless huddle.’ The huddle includes recovery coaches, housing navigators, city staff and me. We go through a list of who is doing what for whom — it sounds simple, but this coordinated approach has really gotten results. One week we got five people into housing.

MB: How many units of housing are currently in the pipeline?

MG: We have multiple projects in the works that will add more than 2,000 units. They include the Eddy, a multifamily dwelling near the hospital that will feature 250 apartments with beautiful common areas located near the Eastern Trail; and a 55-plus community on South Street close to a large new conservation area. We also have almost 300 units of affordable housing in the pipeline, including a project that we lifted out after it was voted down in Cumberland. We’re growing, our schools and city are hiring, and we want to make it easier for nurses, cops, teachers and firefighters to live here in Biddeford.

MB: Is the Biddeford renaissance — the ‘Biddesance’ — still a thing?

MG: It definitely is, and the gilded dome and newly restored clock tower on City Hall are symbolic of Biddeford’s grit and determination. We’re also proud of 12 straight years of K-12 enrollment growth, full industrial parks — but call, we’ll find you a spot — as well as a boutique hotel and thriving restaurant scene. It’s Maine’s youngest downtown, and this time next year, we’ll even have a bowling alley and restaurant in the historic Marble Block on Main Street.

MB: How have your rural roots shaped you?

MG: I grew up in western Maine in a little town called Carthage [in Franklin County]. I’m the youngest of eight kids and grew up milking the cows before the school bus every morning. The teamwork and tenacity needed to run a family farm prepared me well for being a mayor. My mom, Joann Grohman, was a well-known dairy author who wrote a book, ‘Keeping a Family Cow,’ that’s still in print today. She passed away last year, but I get royalty checks which I apply to the care and upkeep of the farm. Soon, my niece will be taking over. She’s going to bring back the cows.

MB: What’s on your to-do list for 2025?

MG: We’re hiring a new city manager, which is a big and important step. And a fun project is to complete the twinning process with Bideford, England — a rural coastal city in the western county of Devon that sent an emissary to the New World 400 years ago [physician Richard Vines] who became the first European to settle in Biddeford, Maine. Since I became mayor, they have sent their mayor over here to meet with me. I haven’t been there yet myself, but there are a lot of interesting ties, and I can envision a joint council meeting twice a year. The challenges we face are common, and the economic development opportunities are intriguing.

MB: When you’re not running Biddeford, how do you spend your time?

MG: As a business consultant with the law firm Eaton Peabody, I coach startup founders, helping them scale and reach new customers. I am particularly passionate about sustainability-related businesses.

MB: What’s your outlook for Maine’s economy this year?

MG: I think there’s a strong tailwind going into 2025. Entrepreneurial talent is riding high, the startup ecosystem is as strong as it’s ever been, and Maine companies have direct access to high-potential sectors like bluetech and climate tech.