The Warren Planning Board approved the development of a controversial mobile home park at its Thursday meeting, according to the Midcoast Villager.
As the housing crisis continues in Maine and hits some regions such as the midcoast especially hard, communities have taken broader steps to address a critical housing shortage that has made living unaffordable for many residents. Advocates say mobile homes can help alleviate the housing crisis while providing better living standards and cheaper rates than similar stick-built developments. Modular homes can cost 20 percent less than a similar stick-built house.
The park in Warren will be off Route 1, with 22 lots on a 35-acre property. The Feb. 27 Planning Board meeting got heated when residents expressed concern that the mobile home park residents would trespass on their land and let trash pile up.
At Thursday’s meeting, one of the developers, Vincent Ahlholm, pushed back against rumors going around on social media that he’s pursuing the project to house workers from Jamaica who staff a farm market he runs in town, according to the Villager. He said the mobile home park is unrelated to the market, but he criticized the complaints as racist.
At the Feb. 27 meeting, the Planning Board had requested that Ahlholm’s company, Falcon Land Co., create a visual shield so neighbors would not see the mobile home park. The Villager reported that the developers agreed to place an earthen berm with plantings on the west side to satisfy this shielding requirement.
Other concerns from residents about the park included that it would increase traffic. The Villager reported that the Maine Department of Transportation has approved a project that would reduce the speed limit in that area.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.