Tag: Affordable Housing

Gimme money, that’s what I want

~ Randy Seaver ~ 2 Comments

There has been a lot of angry talk lately in Biddeford and other communities in southern Maine that are becoming more attractive to people who did not grow up here.

If resentment were a commodity, I would advise you to buy heavy.

Look, let’s get this out of the way before we proceed. Poverty sucks, living near poverty level sucks; and life is not “fair.” Never has been. Never will be. In the times of ancient Greece, some people lived in squalor while others enjoyed luxury.

The Obama’s “summer home” on Martha’s Vineyard . . . lucky!

Today, most people living in Somalia have a much lower standard of living than even America’s poorest citizens. It’s all perspective.

Does that mean we should not care? That we should turn a blind eye to the needs of the less fortunate among us? Absolutely not.

But while we’re all so busy saving the planet and finally making things right, let’s be careful not to trip over our own fucking hypocrisy.

Another disclosure before we proceed, especially for my liberal friends who feel so much worse for “poor people” than cranky old people like me.

1.) I started my adult life homeless, with no job, no family, no home. Hot, sweaty and hungry. I ended up getting government assistance for housing, food, medicine and even college. At the time, I had a minimum wage job. I earned $3.75/ hour as a third-shift janitor at McDonald’s.

2.) Without government assistance, it is more than likely I would not have survived. I believe in government assistance. I believe it is a good use of my tax dollars to make sure that there is a safety net.

So, when it comes to poverty (no air conditioning, no car, no eating out, no phone, no vacations, no television) Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt.

Today, however, I find this pervasive culture of entitlement to be spreading like wildfire. Expectations are through the roof. So many people talk about their “rights,” but never their obligations.

On a recent social media thread about the cost of living in Biddeford, several people were complaining that “affordable housing” is not really affordable.

I know this is true, and a problem. My youngest kid (28) has been living with us since August and I really . . . really, really want her to find her own place to live. Trust me on this. She has a full-time job and is going back to college, but pickings for housing in Biddeford are slim.

I have suggested that she cannot afford to live in Biddeford, pointing her to Sanford, Limerick and other places in York County that are not yet so gentrified. Apparently, because of my penchant for living in the real world, I am insensitive monster who just doesn’t understand how “tough the world is today.”

Bullshit. The world has always been tough, and always will be.

If you are over 25, earning only
minimum wage, you have made
some poor life choices.

We have first-year teachers and newly-hired police officers who cannot afford to live close to where they work. We do need more affordable housing. Pronto!

But on this social media thread, there were the proverbial whiners. “I’m on minimum wage, Section 8 or whatever. I can’t afford “affordable housing.”

Of course not. You are confusing affordable housing with low-income housing. Just because you can’t afford something, doesn’t mean the other guy can’t.

Moreover, if you’re living on minimum wage ($14.65/hour in Maine), you need to ask yourself some hard questions. Even McDonald’s is starting people at $20 hour. Minimum wage was never intended to be a life-long, livable wage. It is for people with no skills or experience. If you are over 25, earning only minimum wage, you have made some poor life choices.

And it’s time for you to make some changes.

In fact, you need a second job. Wait, what? Yes, a second job. Growing up, my dad had three jobs and my mom worked third-shift in a factory while we slept in a third-floor apartment on State Street in Biddeford.

We did not have air conditioning or a clothes dryer. No microwave. No tattoos, not cell phones, WIFI or cable TV. No streaming services. We had school clothes and play clothes. Everything had to be stretched.

Until I was a teenager, we ate out maybe once or twice a year (Easter dinner or a treat of Bill’s Pizza and Pier Fries during the summer at OOB.) Until, I was seven, my parents did not own a car. My dad finished his teaching degree by hitch-hiking to his classes in Gorham. The poor fucker was working three jobs and had to put newspaper in his shoes because he could not afford new shoes.

But guess what? My parents scrimped and saved every penny, and were finally able to buy their own run-down, fixer upper home in Saco. My sister had dance classes, I took clarinet lessons and was in the Cub scouts.

We were on our way to middle class. Yippie-kay yay, motherfuckers.

My parents’ life was not abnormal. It was like that for all my friends.

What, exactly, is so horrific about having more than one job? I always had two jobs into my mid-30s.

In summary, yes we should have a safety net. My great-grandmother used to get government-issued surplus cheese and canned goods.

But we also need to toughen up. We live in a world of high expectations. We now believe that we should be able to “afford” tats, nose rings and $8 latte macchiatos. We demand more. We all deserve dignity, but don’t want to work for it. We abhor sacrifice.

The government safety net is intended to catch you when you fall, not become a place to take a long slumber while watching the Bachelor.

If your life sucks (and many people do have shitty, hard lives) ask yourself some hard questions. What are YOU going to do to make things better? What are YOU going to bring to the table for society?

In closing, l leave you with the iconic words of John F. Kennedy (He was a president before Trump) “Ask not what your country can do for you; rather ask yourself what can you do for your country.”

Rant over. Peace. And good luck.

Randy Seaver is a cranky, nearly insufferable malcontent living in Biddeford. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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Developer eyes Biddeford for affordable housing project near Rotary Park

~ Randy Seaver ~ 2 Comments

If all goes as planned, the city of Biddeford could gain 60 new affordable housing units that would be built near Rotary Park and within walking distance of Biddeford High School.

On Tuesday, the Biddeford City Council heard a presentation from Nathan Bateman, vice president of Bateman Partners, about the Forest Green project.

The proposal would include construction of two three-story buildings near some existing housing on outer Main Street. The two buildings would share a “central atrium space” so that one elevator could service both buildings.

George Gervais, the city’s economic and development director, told the council that he is excited about the proposal and pointed out that it would help meet the city’s goal to create more affordable housing opportunities.

Because the developers are hoping to use state and federal tax credits for construction of the units, the rental costs of the one and two-bedroom apartments would need to meet state guidelines issued by the Maine Housing Authority for those earning at or below 60 percent of the area’s median income.

But the project is still facing some significant hurdles, most notably from the Saco River Corridor Commission (SRCC), which has oversight on any development within proximity of the river.

More than 50 years ago, in 1974, the then newly created Saco River Commission designated the land as part of a 100-year flood plain, preventing any further development of affordable housing on the parcel.

Bateman told the city council that technology has improved exponentially since 1974. Today it is documented that the parcel where the development would be located is actually well outside the 100-year flood zone.

According to Bateman, the Saco River Corridor Commission is willing to consider the project but only if the city first approved a “resolution” to change the current zoning designation, from “limited residential” to “general development.”

The council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a resolution of support for the project, which will be presented at the next Saco River Corridor Commission meeting on January 22.

Bateman told the council that his firm has conducted significant research, including the use of GIS technology and low-level drones to record and analyze the area and its viewshed. “It’s a very appropriate location for an expansion of the project that’s already there,” he said.

Following the council’s decision, Bateman told the Biddeford Gazette that timing of the project is “critical” because there are limited opportunities for the state and federal tax credits that are administered by the Maine State Housing Authority (MSHA). Each year, affordable housing developers are forced to compete for limited funding.

Bateman acknowledged Tuesday that there is a long road ahead.

Forest Green (1)Download

If the Saco River Corridor Commission approves the project, the developer will still need to go through the city’s planning board review process, a regulatory review by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as well as funding from the Maine State Housing Authority in September.

“We certainly have a long path ahead, but we are excited about this project,” Bateman said. “If all goes as planned, we could begin construction in June 2026.”

RELATED STORY: Developer plans ‘substantial investment’ in downtown Biddeford Housing

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Gimme Shelter

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

There is no question that downtown Biddeford is going through a renaissance. From a run-down and neglected corridor of assorted and vacant mill buildings to one of the most desirable places for young people to live in southern Maine.

Suddenly, without warning, downtown Biddeford became hip.

Today, long-since abandoned textile mills in the downtown area have been redeveloped into high end housing stock, surrounded by small and eclectic restaurants, shops, a parking garage and a proposed downtown hotel with a rooftop pool.

How did this happen? And are there any drawbacks to this fast-paced revitalization of the city’s core: The Heart of Biddeford?

Let’s begin with the factors that began a little more than 10 years ago.

A group of citizens from both Biddeford and Saco became activists and they began pushing city leaders to close the controversial MERC facility, a downtown trash incinerator that served several surrounding communities but left its putrid stench in downtown Biddeford.

It took vision to close that plant because it was one of the city’s biggest taxpayers. That vision came into focus when Alan Casavant was elected to his first term as the city’s mayor.

Casavant pledged to close the plant and he won his first term by a healthy margin over incumbent Joanne Twomey, who said closing MERC would likely never happen and focused her attention instead on developing a racino on the outskirts of town.

(Disclosure) I was Casavant’s campaign manager.

Although closing MERC was likely the impetus of Biddeford’s revitalization, there were many other factors taking place.

First, rising real estate and rental values in Portland forced many residents to seek more affordable housing elsewhere. They could keep their Portland-based jobs with only a 20-minute commute from Biddeford.

Real estate developers saw a golden opportunity, and they began investing in neglected and crumbling mill buildings. More than a century ago, young workers from away flocked to Biddeford in search of jobs in the city’s textile and shoe mills.

Today, it is young renters and home-buyers flocking to Biddeford. For those already living in the downtown area, rental costs began to soar, forcing them out of the city to places like Sanford and Westbrook.

A classic example of gentrification.

Our house, in the middle of our street

Rising real-estate values have also had a significant effect on homeowners who have seen their property values climb at a phenomenal pace.

For example, Laura and I purchased a modest, working-class home not far away from the downtown area. Our neighborhood was created for the hundreds of baby-boomers returning from WWII and raising families.

We purchased this home in 2004. Today, based on real-estate comps in our neighborhood, our home has more than doubled in value. Yes, we made several improvements but not enough to explain such a dramatic increase.

Today, it is almost impossible for first-time homebuyers to find an affordable home for working-class families.

All of this may explain why there has been a lot of chatter on social media about establishing the concept of “rent-control” in Biddeford.

Let me be clear. Rent-control is a bad idea. Fostering the development of affordable housing, however, is a good idea. Relinquishing more power to government will likely stagnate growth and hinder new opportunities and investments.

While many people blame city leaders for the problem, their frustration is understandable but misplaced. Late last year, the city of Biddeford tackled the subject of affordable housing. Over the next five years, the city will work toward a goal of creating at least 90 units of affordable housing per year.

“This is a statewide issue especially in coastal communities,” said Mayor Alan Casavant. “There are limitations on what the city can do regarding private developers. Our tool box is limited,” he said.

Casavant says that many once worn down and unsightly apartment buildings are now being renovated by earnest landlords who want to increase the value of their properties. “They (landlords and developers) have a right to recoup their investments in our community.”

According to Guy Gagnon of the Biddeford Housing Authority, his agency calculates Fair Market Rent for various apartments every year. “The rapid rise in rent prices has outpaced the standard averages,” Gagnon says. “The real problem is a basic economic principle of supply and demand. We need much more supply of all types of affordable rentals and homes in southern Maine before the curve can be bent back in the right direction.”

Gagnon agrees that goal will be hard to reach as long as the real estate market is continuing to rise and he is worried about the plight of existing and long-time residents.  “All these changes, improvements are great, fantastic and amazing,” he wrote on one of his Facebook posts. “It’s especially important to be able to keep our children from having to move away for affordable housing. It is very, very, very important that the change in buildings does not change the fabric of our community.”

I agree with Gagnon’s concerns, but as I said before: rent control will do little to nothing to solve the problem.

Originally published on the Saco Bay News site.