The Bangor Daily News reported on Thursday that a new tiny home park in Bangor, comprising 30 energy-efficient, 320-square-foot individual homes, is ready to begin accepting tenants.
The news spawned a lot of conversation on both social media and on the BDN’s website, with people asking questions about tiny home living, how the new park would help Bangor’s housing crisis, and the economics of housing development. Here’s some of what the BDN audience had to say.
“These new tiny home communities are interesting, and I do think they’re neat, but honestly, they remind me a lot of the mobile home parks that used to be here. I’m not sure how they’re more innovative or different. At least with mobile home parks, people could build equity in their trailers and take steps toward homeownership, aside from paying lot rent. Am I missing something?” – Lindsay Porter Harmon
“There are always going to be those people who spit out the negativity. $1,300 for a brand new home with a heat pump (which is extremely efficient), so a low heating cost is very reasonable. How much is oil or propane these days?! These are perfect for someone who doesn’t want an apartment lifestyle, but maybe can’t take out a mortgage for whatever reason. This is a great thing done by a great guy. I am so proud of him for this project!” – Jamie Clukey
“For some perspective, my Social Security is $1,400/month. Heat pumps? Affordable? FYI, Versant has had 3 rate increases in rapid succession, went from 11 cents/kwh to 25 cents/kwh, so heat pump plus other electricity probably would be around $150 or more. I guess I could do it if I didn’t have to eat.” – Susan D’Allesandro
“Housing is such an important wealth builder. Unfortunately these seem more like temporary worker housing, but who would want to live like that — no laundry, no yard, one car? Retirees need laundry. Married people need two cars. Tiny homes can be great as starter homes (then you own it and can take it with you) or as homeless housing for REALLY cheap, but this developer should have worked with the potential renters. No laundry puts a huge burden on people. One of those units should be converted to a laundromat.” – Jenny Yasi
“What an excellent idea to get more money out of people to live in a trailer park? I’ve also got a brand new idea. I’ll put several living spaces into one building and call it an apartment building.” – Jesse Douglas Letourneau
“The problem is the housing market, the lenders, the FED rate, the out of state venture capitalists who are buying the 1/4 of the market in the country. Our taxes, and our income vs inflation. This is the most reasonable way to make more housing with $4 million. This produces better living spaces at higher volume than investing in old properties would, and the rent would not be any less. This doesn’t solve the housing crisis, and it isn’t the cause of it either. We are always looking down at those with less income, instead of looking up at the billionaires that we treat like royalty while they smash the rest of us. This is locally owned and yes, it is expensive, but it’s only expensive because wages are too low and taxes are too high. LOOK UP! The responsibility is within the insane financial disparity.” – Adam King
“Tiny homes are often considered better than the mass-produced trailer homes because they are generally smaller, more customizable, more energy-efficient, and can be designed with higher quality materials, allowing for a more permanent and comfortable living space compared to the often mass-produced design of a typical trailer home. Tiny homes often prioritize sustainability and eco-friendly construction practices. Tiny homes usually only comprise anywhere from 100 and 400 square feet meant to allow for a self-sufficient lifestyle. Mobile homes have anywhere from 600 to 1300 square feet, allowing for more living space. Typically if you want to move your lodging, a tiny house is a better option: you can tow it wherever you want as long as you have a good trailer hitch and vehicle.” – Kathy McGraw
“This person created a business plan and created housing in a market that needed housing. He did NOT create affordable housing, but he did create housing. These units will not qualify for low-income housing subsidy programs like BRAP, Section 8 and Shelter+ Care because they are priced above fair market value for a 1 bedroom in Bangor and the tenant is responsible for electric costs. This solves a small problem of available housing, but not the larger problem of affordable housing.” – Jennifer Hodgkins
“$1,300 plus electricity isn’t reasonable for these tiny buildings. For $1,300 monthly you could be paying a mortgage on your own home.” – Ruth Bennett
“At least a local owns it, and not some out-of-state monopoly that buys up mobile home parks and jacks the rents up.” – Melissa Pooler
“Keep in mind what Mr. Morrison has created here are individual small houses to give his renters a sense of having their own private home. Building multiple individual units comes with a lot of costs; every unit has its own separate foundation, 4 walls that have windows and siding, and a roof. If he was trying to target the $1,000/month renters at the Ranger Inn across the street, he would have built a single 9,600 sq ft building (30 x 320 sq ft). Obviously, that is not who he is trying to target. Great starter homes for a young couple with maybe 2 incomes. Kudos for breaking the ice and hopefully more neighborhoods will follow and possibly be creative and have less expensive models to target different demographics.” – Headinnorth, BDN commenter
“I see folks are already complaining about the monthly rent. According to this article, he’s breaking even at this price. Keep in mind, building housing nowadays has skyrocketed in price due to the cost of building materials and labor, plus the cost of the land. I’m sure not many builders can construct housing and absorb a huge loss because folks want them to charge very little for the housing. That would be like you owing $100k on your home but selling it for $30k because you have sympathy for the buyer. I don’t think that would happen.” – StillWorking, BDN commenter
