The fast-growing city of Westbrook saw a housing surge last year, permitting more new units than any city or town in Maine.
Westbrook authorized more than 300 units of housing in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That’s more in one year than Bangor has built in five, according to that data.
This surge is in part due to a few large developments and also a pent-up demand in the most desirable part of the state. Scarborough, another Portland suburb, has also permitted the most housing of any municipality in Maine in the last 5 years, according to federal data.
“We are seeing projects take off this year that have been in a hold pattern for the last couple of years, so, yes, we are seeing a surge this year,” said Jennie Franceschi, Westbrook’s planning director.
That substantial surge was chiefly driven by three developments that were approved in 2022 but took a year to get funding, Franceschi noted. Those projects are a 60-unit senior housing project on Nicholas Lane, a 55-unit senior housing project at 160 Stroudwater St. and a 62-unit workforce housing project off of Seavey Street, she said.
The definition of those “workforce” units is flexible. It won’t be tied to a certain area median income like in other places, Franceschi said. Since the units each have one bedroom and will be built on the same parcel as an elderly affordable Avesta Housing project, Franceschi said the developers, New Ventures LLC, plan to rent them at below market rate. That Avesta project is still looking for funding, meaning those 61 units are not included in those 2023 numbers.
Before this 2023 permitting surge, Westbrook had permitted just over 200 building units since 2020, according to HUD data. The uptick was made possible by new, flexible zoning standards that promoted high-density developments in the “core” Westbrook, Michael Foley, the city’s outgoing mayor who starts this week as Gray’s town manager, said.
Many of the new developments coming to Westbrook will be affordable because the city is making use of affordable housing tax increment financing districts that allow communities to invest more in housing, Foley said. He added that Westbrook has over 1,000 units in the “residential pipeline” right now, largely because of the “natural demand and desire” for the city.
Westbrook has seen an 18 percent population increase from 2010 to 2022, according to census data. Many people who were priced out of Portland, when the cost of living exploded after the COVID-19 pandemic, settled in satellite communities like Westbrook, Scarborough and Gorham.
Westbrook has a suburban feel and also has a vibrant downtown area with businesses and eateries. It is next door to Portland and its downtown is 10 minutes from the airport.
“Our ordinance[s] have been housing forward for many years,” Franceschi said. “With the additional efforts to increase housing in our downtown areas and providing density bonuses, we are seeing the fruits of that labor coming to life.”
