A planned tiny home park in Bangor would add 30 new housing units to the city.
The park passed the first step of the permitting process at a planning board meeting Tuesday and could open next year.
The units would add much-needed housing for the city — likely below average rental price — amid a housing crisis that has left Bangor short 700 units of affordable housing, according to a study released earlier this year.
The 400-square-foot homes are set to be built in a 2.3-acre area off Pushaw Road near Shepherd Drive, on the Capehart side of the Kenduskeag Stream.
Each home will have a parking space and the project will include adding a loop road and a mail building, according to Shelly Lizotte, an Artifex engineer working on the project who spoke at the planning board meeting.
John Karnes, who owns the land and runs the Bangor-based construction and property management company R&K Construction that will develop the park, estimated that each home may cost around $800 to $900 per month to rent — “pretty affordable, considering the prices of everything else,” he said.
The cost of an average rental unit in Bangor was $1,600 per month as of August — double what it was before the pandemic.
Karnes hopes to start construction on the homes in the spring and finish by the fall, he said.
The development would be the second tiny home village in Bangor after Randall Park opened last fall. Randall Park also has 30 units, priced at $1,300 per month, which drew hundreds of applicants when the park opened.
“We have seen firsthand how well-designed projects of this nature can expand access to safe, affordable housing while strengthening the fabric of the surrounding community,” James Strout, a loan officer with First National Bank, wrote in a supporting letter for the project.
Karnes said he was intrigued by the idea of a tiny home park community after talking with Randall Park’s developer and thought it could be a way to add a significant number of affordable units with a relatively small footprint.
“You can do quite a few in a small area,” he said, adding that the homes will be great for people looking to downsize.
Plans for the park also include adding walking trails along the stream, Karnes said, which would be accessible to anyone who wants to visit.
The land, in a relatively secluded part of the city, will feel like “you’re in Bangor, but you’re not really in Bangor,” Karnes said.
Karnes and his wife, Laurie Karnes, bought the plot in 2023, according to city property records. It sat empty for decades before that and was once the site of a homeless encampment, according to Karnes. He’s excited to clean it up and turn it into a usable space for residents and visitors, he said.
Bangor’s planning board unanimously approved the first step of Karnes’ request for a land development permit and to subdivide the lot in a meeting Tuesday.
City code requires a second vote on the subdivision approval, so the board will vote again on the project in the coming weeks.
“I think it’s a great project,” said Reese Perkins, who chairs the Planning Board. “It’s exciting to see.”