Bangor is resurrecting a proposal to allow boarding homes that previously failed after the City Council and planning board voted it down.
Bangor planning staff in February proposed allowing boarding homes in residential, historic and downtown districts to combat a housing crunch that has affected residents at all income levels.
The planning board and council declined to approve it after residents complained that allowing boarding homes would lead to declining property values and increased competition for parking spaces as well as burden the city’s code enforcement office with inspecting more homes.
A new proposal that city planner Anne Krieg presented to the council’s business and economic development committee would require boarding house managers to live onsite and limit where they could be located in the city.
Boarding houses would be only allowed on certain major streets, like Broadway, Stillwater Avenue, Hogan Road and Main and Union streets.
The proposal would also bar boarding homes from being allowed in historic homes, said economic development director Tanya Emery.
“This proposal allows for an extra layer of review and scrutiny,” Emery said.