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<DIV>Hi All, I know I sent a previous draft of this for your review.
This is a further modified one in response. PLEASE GIVE THIS DRAFT A FINAL
REVIEW ASAP so the Comp. Plan folks can put it to bed. </DIV>
<DIV>My personal opinion is that they have done a great job accommodating our
concerns and progress, but further input is welcome. Please reply to Chris
McDuffie, but feel free to copy me if you want. Mark</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
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From: cmcduffie@earthlink.net<BR>To: Mlongreene2@aol.com<BR>Sent: 1/21/2008
11:45:41 A.M. Eastern Standard Time<BR>Subj: Housing section revised<BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2>Town of Long Island Comprehensive
Plan<BR>Housing<BR>1/13/08 DRAFT<BR><BR>A thorough inventory of housing was
accomplished in the fall of 2006 by <BR>using real estate tax maps, other Town
records and walking/driving <BR>through all neighborhoods. Present housing on
Long Island includes:<BR>
Last Plan (Fall 1993)
Fall 2006<BR> Types of Dwellings
Numbers
Numbers<BR>Single family frame dwellings 308 308
dwelling units 362 362 <BR>dwelling
units<BR>Two family frame dwellings
4 8 dwelling units
2 4 <BR>dwelling units<BR><BR>Three family
dwellings 1
3 dwelling units 0
0 <BR>dwelling units<BR>Mobile homes
3 3 dwelling
units 1 1
dwelling unit<BR> Total
322 dwelling units 367
dwelling units<BR><BR> Use of Dwellings<BR>In winter use
80
97<BR>Seasonal use
242
270<BR>
Total 322
dwelling units 367 dwelling units<BR><BR>
Age of Dwellings<BR>Under 25 yrs. old
42
80<BR>Over 25 yrs. old
280
287<BR> Total
322 dwelling units 367
dwelling units<BR><BR>As of the fall of 2006 there were known to be on the
market: 5 winter <BR>and 2 seasonal dwellings<BR><BR>Existing
Housing<BR><BR>Almost all frame dwellings are free standing single-family
homes. There <BR>are only 3 exceptions. Most dwellings, with a few exceptions
of long <BR>unoccupied structures, are in moderate to good repair. House lots
range <BR>in size from 1750 sq. ft. to 698,688 sq. ft. Valuations for property
<BR>tax purposes range from $15,560 to $612,980. Homes are served by
<BR>private wells and septic systems. There is no municipal water supply
<BR>servicing Long Island. Housing development possibilities are limited by
<BR>our ground water resources and the ability of our soils to handle our
<BR>septic wastes.<BR><BR>Recent Development<BR><BR>Since the last
Comprehensive Plan a \u201cbulge\u201d in home building resulted <BR>from one
subdivision, done by Northland in the 1990s at the Tank Farm <BR>location
involved 27 lots with deed restrictions which do not allow <BR>further
subdivision of these lots. These lots range from 1.1 acre to <BR>4.25 acres.
Some of these 27 lots are zoned for business. Although many <BR>homes have
been built since the last Comprehensive Plan, 111 surveys <BR>thought this
rate of growth was "too fast", while 110 thought it was <BR>'just right",
while 4 thought it was "too slow". Questions of water and <BR>sewage disposal
may limit future housing development even though there <BR>is sufficient
undeveloped land. The strongest response to any of the <BR>questions on the
Plan Questionnaire was to the question: "Should Long <BR>Island take steps to
retain its rural character?" The answers were 213 <BR>-yes, 17 -no, and 3- no
opinion.<BR><BR>Two modifications in the zoning ordinance which were adopted
at the <BR>Town Meeting in 2007 may result in more housing units. One is
<BR>permitting, as a conditional use in the three zones IR-1, IR-2 and IB
<BR>where single family residential use has been permitted , \u201caccessory
<BR>dwelling units\u201d which are \u201cto provide enhanced opportunities to
<BR>accommodate housing for family/relative members while protecting the
<BR>single -family character of existing residential neighborhoods\u201d. They
<BR>must be \u201cprimarily accessed through the existing living area of the
<BR>primary structure\u201d, designed to be \u201csubordinate in scale and mass\u201d,
<BR>have at least 500 sq. ft. and not exceed 50% of the floor area of the
<BR>main dwelling unit, and the septic system must meet the standards of
<BR>the Maine Plumbing Code for the number of bedrooms proposed.<BR><BR>The
second ordinance change would allow multi-family dwellings as a
<BR>conditional use in the I-B Island Business Zone. A multi-family
<BR>dwelling is defined as a \u201cdetached building used exclusively for the
<BR>residential occupancy by two (2) or more families and containing two
<BR>(2) or more dwelling units.\u201d The septic system must be certified by
a <BR>licensed Site Plan Evaluator that it meets the standards of the Maine
<BR>Plumbing Code for proposed multi-unit dwelling.<BR><BR>Although the
\u201cbulge\u201d resulting from the Northland lot development may <BR>be over, these
new ordinances may create a new spurt of building.<BR><BR>Seasonal vs Year
Round Occupancy<BR><BR>Long Island has a large seasonal population. Of the 367
dwelling units, <BR>270 are used seasonally and 97 are occupied year round.
Both categories <BR>have grown since the last Comprehensive Plan, but the
proportion of <BR>three-quarters of the dwelling units on Long Island being
seasonal has <BR>remained nearly the same. Some seasonal cottages have been,
and are <BR>being, converted for winter use. Some new homes have been built to
<BR>accommodate year round use, but are being occupied seasonally. Some
<BR>folks, who may or may not have been seasonal residents of Long Island
<BR>during their working lives, are retiring to become year round residents
<BR>on the island. Some year round island residents are retiring and
<BR>becoming seasonal island residents as they spend a long winter season
<BR>in warmer climates, often changing their legal residence when they do
<BR>so because of more favorable tax laws in other states.<BR><BR>Senior
Housing and Assisted Living<BR><BR>A committee on Long Island has investigated
the possibility of <BR>establishing an assisted living facility on Long
Island, but because <BR>the committee found that we do not have sufficient
numbers of citizens <BR>who would require these services such a project could
not be justified, <BR>and this is not being pursued at this time. We have one
private home <BR>which provides assisted living to two senior citizens, and
there are <BR>private in-home care arrangements when needed, but our community
has to <BR>rely on off island services for nursing and assisted living
situations. <BR>It is hoped that the new accessory dwelling unit ordinance may
help <BR>address some of the needs of older residents who need some in-home
<BR>assistance.<BR><BR>Affordable Housing<BR><BR>The high cost of land, of
constructing a proper septic system and of <BR>drilling a well inhibits the
building of new low cost homes as does the <BR>higher cost of construction
itself due to transportation costs from the <BR>mainland to the island of
materials and also labor, particularly if <BR>off-island contractors are used.
Manufactured, or modular, housing with <BR>the component parts brought to the
island on a barge, has been one <BR>answer for some families to help reduce
the cost of new construction. <BR>Because many of the seasonal-to-winter
conversions have been <BR>accomplished by the homeowners themselves over a
period of years with <BR>frugally purchased materials and using their own
labor, the process of <BR>renovation has made them in some sense
"affordable".<BR><BR>The medium income of Long Island is $35,833 according to
the U.S. <BR>Census 2000. The affordability index for Long Island is not
available <BR>because there were fewer than 4 home sales on Long (and other
small <BR>islands the year it was done - 2005) but if you check the
recent <BR>Island Indicators report on the Island Institute website,
there is an <BR>affordability index in there for many other
islands. An index of <BR>"less than "1" means the area is
generally unaffordable - i.e. a <BR>household earning area median income could
not cover the payment on a <BR>median priced home (30 year mortgage, taxes,
and insurance) using no <BR>more than 28% of gross income."
Examples cited from the Casco Bay <BR>islands are Great Diamond Island: 0.20
and Peaks Island, 0.36, and the <BR>statistic from the State of Maine is 0.70.
This suggests that the <BR>affordablility on Long may be lower if not
worse (than Peaks or Great <BR>Diamond Island) although the substantially
lower taxes on Long may help <BR>offset this.We have a low median income in a
high priced housing area. <BR><BR>In response to concern expressed about
attracting and keeping young <BR>year-round families on the island, a Year
Round Housing Committee has <BR>been very active for the past year and a half,
working to devise a way <BR>to create new housing for year round residents. We
enjoy the vigor <BR>young families add to the island population, and we
appreciate, and <BR>very much need, their participation in the many volunteer
activities <BR>that keep this island functioning on a year round
basis.<BR><BR>In the early part of 2007 two surveys prepared by the Year Round
<BR>Housing Committee were sent. One survey was sent to individual
<BR>residents (one per individual resident 18 years or older) and a
<BR>different survey was sent to seasonal households (one per household).
<BR>Of 182 surveys sent to individual residents 81 were returned. Of 200
<BR>surveys sent to seasonal households 126 were returned. Although the
<BR>body of the two surveys were different, the last two questions were
<BR>asked to both surveyed groups as follows:<BR><BR>QUESTIONS ASKED:<BR>\u201cThe
Year Round Housing Committee is researching a proposal to build a
<BR>single-family, year-round rental house on town land. As conceived, it
<BR>would be funded primarily through grant money, low interest loans, and
<BR>would be owned and managed by a non-profit entity separate from the
<BR>Town government.<BR><BR>Do you think the YRHC should proceed with studying
this starter <BR>project? ___Yes ___No<BR>Do you think the YRHC should proceed
with a different project?___Yes <BR>___No<BR><BR>RESPONSES from each
group:<BR>Seasonal resident households responded:<BR>Do you think the YRHC
should proceed with studying this starter <BR>project? Yes: 77 (61%) and No:
34 (27%)<BR>Do you think the YRHC should proceed with a different project?
Yes: 23 <BR>(18%) and No: 42 (33%)<BR><BR>Year round individual residents
responded:<BR>Do you think the YRHC should proceed with studying this starter
<BR>project? Yes: 41 (65%) and No: 16 (25%)<BR>Do you think the YRHC should
proceed with a different project? Yes: 20 <BR>(32%) and No: 19
(30%)<BR><BR>The proposal of the Year Round Housing Committee has evolved
since the <BR>survey to propose, instead of rental housing, that the town
lease lots <BR>of town owned land for houses to be built by year round
residents. <BR>This proposal contributes to affordability by removing
the cost of land <BR>acquisition from the homeowner\u2019s building costs. It also
honors the <BR>reluctance shown in the Comprehensive Plan survey to the town
spending <BR>money for low cost housing, because this current proposal would
<BR>generate the same annual income for the town (in the form of rent for
<BR>the land) as if taxes were being paid, while restricting the housing
<BR>for year round use. The 2007 Town Meeting agreed to allow the long term
<BR>lease of four town owned lots for individual owner-built year round
<BR>houses. The Year Round Housing Committee continues to work to develop
<BR>the criteria and protocols for this creative effort as well as looking
<BR>at other forms of housing initiatives to further broaden the options
<BR>for the community in the future. <BR><BR>Housing
Policy<BR><BR>1. It is the policy of the Town of Long Island to treat
manufactured <BR>housing the same as stick built housing.<BR><BR>2. It
is the policy of the Town of Long Island to take steps to make <BR>it possible
and desirable for young families to locate and remain here.<BR><BR>3. It
is the policy of the Town of Long Island to seek to achieve at <BR>least 10%
of all housing built or placed during the next decade be
<BR>affordable.<BR><BR>Housing Policy Implementation Strategy<BR><BR>The Year
Round Housing Committee will continue its work to provide <BR>affordable year
round housing on Long
Island.<BR><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Start the year off right. <A title="http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489" href="http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489" target="_blank">Easy ways to stay in shape</A> in the new year. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>