Officials in western Maine town of Eustis are seeking ways to expand the local housing supply, and they’re the first to join a new initiative by a major state nonprofit.
The town is the first to host officials from GrowSmart Maine to discuss its new “Housing Forward Communities” initiative, which is based in Franklin County and aimed at building community consensus in favor of new housing projects.
The nationwide housing shortage has spiked property values and taxes across the state. As the tourist economy drives new growth in northwestern Maine, Eustis, where most properties sit empty for much of the year, has little housing available.
“If somebody wanted to move to town, they’re not going to find a place,” Town Clerk Rachel Williams said. “And they’re really not going to find … an affordable place.”
The donor-funded program aims to host community conversations around housing, create a local “housing action committee” and help the town draft resolutions guiding future planning decisions.
Rent in Eustis has more than doubled in just a few years, according to data in the state’s housing portal compiled from Zillow and the U.S. Census Bureau. The median rent in the town, which lies near the ski resort at Sugarloaf but an hour’s drive from the nearest major service center in Farmington, was $916 in 2024. It was about $450 in 2019.
Vacancy rates are also dropping, according to census data. In 2014, more than a quarter of rentals were available. In 2024, that number was 5.3%. It’s similarly hard to find a permanent home in the town, with 4.5% of owned homes vacant and for sale in 2014 compared with none in 2024.
The town’s thirst for more housing has come up repeatedly at local meetings as the limited tax base has strained budgets. Minutes from a February town meeting in which officials discussed a proposed school budget increase, the exchange is summarized by saying educators “have cut where they can.”
“We need more housing,” the minutes read.
Williams said that it’s difficult to find workers in Eustis. Stratton Lumber, the local sawmill, has had to hire workers from far away as a result. A manager there directed questions from a reporter to the mill’s owner, who could not immediately be reached for comment.
Voters in nearby Kingfield killed a housing project in 2024 that was planned for a 7-acre plot behind Dollar General, putting it among the towns that have resisted attempts to build more housing. GrowSmart Maine’s new program for Franklin County aims to preempt similar cases.
“There is often local resistance to new proposals,” GrowSmart Maine’s Associate Director Harald Bredesen said. “The purpose of this program is to kind of have discussion first … so that the community doesn’t have to say yes [or] no to a particular proposal, but rather, can kind of help shape the kinds of proposals and attract, maybe, the kinds of developers that they want.”
Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.