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Our Need

The delicate balance of people in Kennebunkport is changing.

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  • Between 2000 and 2022 the number of seasonal properties increased from 34% to 45%, and it continues to climb.

  • The popularity of our community has led to a 323% housing cost increase (from $234,200 to $990,000) since 2000, while incomes have only increased by 42% (from $54,219 to $77,216) in Kennebunkport.

  • In May 2022, the median sale price for a home was $990,000, putting Kennebunkport out of financial reach for young families looking to move back home, and seniors looking to downsize.

  • 80% of Kennebunkport’s workforce commute into town from neighboring communities.

  • In a recent (2019) town survey, residents identify that a "sense of community" is important or very important.

  • 36.5% of the resident population in Kennebunkport is over the age of 65, higher than York County and Maine.

  • Enrollment at our elementary school has decreased by 33% in the past 10 years.

  • Our volunteer firefighter median age is 55; 35% are over the age of 60.


Recognizing this trend, the Board of Selectmen commissioned the Housing Needs and Assessment Study in 2017, and then appointed a housing committee in the spring of 2018 to implement the strategies identified in the study. After an analysis of the situation, the committee recommended that the Board of Selectmen establish a
standalone non-profit Housing Trust, which would be modeled after successful trusts in communities like on Mount Desert Island, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard. The Trust would seek to provide housing that is affordable for families and individuals with low to moderate incomes.

 

The Board of Selectmen approved the formation of the Kennebunkport Heritage Housing Trust in the fall of 2018, appointing to the Board of Directors, Patrick Briggs, Patrick Clancy, Sue Ellen Stavrand, Bill Dugan, Eileen Lang, David Kling, Sarah Dore, and James Fitzgerald.

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The Trust was pleased to receive a donation of tax-acquired land from the Board of Selectmen on March 28, 2019. 

 

The group submitted their 501(c)3 application at the end of the 2018 and was granted non-profit status in August 2019, in addition to also securing a 501(c)4 at the same time.

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