A proposed new housing development in Rockport could eventually include an on-site child care facility.
The pairing of those two resources — housing and child care — highlights the growing awareness that the costs of both are rising in Maine, pricing working class people out of the midcoast and other expensive parts of the state.
The project, which Midcoast for Habitat for Humanity is developing off Route 1, would start with the subdivision of the site for several sets of condominiums. Last week, the town’s Planning Board gave a preliminary vote of approval for that plan.
And the project would also include another lot slated to be developed into a daycare facility, although that part of the project is not yet being formally pursued, and there are no immediate plans for who would run such a facility.
Even so, the concept is telling. It’s not the only new housing project in Maine that has bundled a child care facility into the plans. At least one other — an affordable housing project being pursued in Portland — would also include both. There’s a growing recognition among both Maine communities and employers about the need to offer workers easier access to child care, which is getting more expensive. Bath Iron Works is now building a new daycare facility for the children of its employees.
Tia Anderson, executive director of Midcoast Habitat for Humanity, said the group’s goal is to “address the housing affordability issue” in the region.
“The opportunity to help individuals and families secure homeownership and contribute to the health of our communities is essential,” Anderson said. “We look forward to developing this pocket neighborhood and continuing to have a positive impact through our efforts.”
At least some Rockport residents have voiced support for the proposed project, noting that it would help younger, working families get a foothold in the midcoast.
“Young families aren’t moving here because it is a prohibitively expensive place to live and to move to,” said Ben Leoni. “That’s why I enthusiastically support this project; in fact, I’d welcome a dozen more like it in this town if I could.”
Leoni, who noted that he has a preschool-aged child and highlighted data on declining numbers of young parents in town, said that such projects can demonstrate that Rockport welcomes people from all demographics, “and not just those who are wealthy.”
However, some other residents have questioned specific details of the project, or come out against it. They have expressed concerns about the traffic safety of the location and how it would affect things such as drainage and wildlife.
Amanda Dwelly said she has concerns about the project, but supports it overall. She also pointed to the decreasing share of working-age adults who live in town.
“I really appreciate Habitat for having the fortitude to try to develop this site, and I hope that … some of the concerns about stormwater management, traffic, light, vegetation and things like that could be worked out,” Dwelly said.
One neighbor of the project, Robert Long, said in written testimony that he opposed the project “due to its inappropriate size and disregard for our privacy by the intended deforesting of the border of our property without any plan to include fencing and vegetation.”
He argued that the developers should be required to mitigate any noise and light pollution that could come from the housing or a future child care center.
The project will still need to receive final approval from the Planning Board.