Housing

The Hancock County Planning Commission provides technical assistance to help municipalities reach their housing goals.

Types of assistance include:

  • Researching and analyzing housing data
  • Ordinance revision and review 
  • Funding research and grant application assistance
  • Creating educational material and content
  • Resource for county, regional and statewide housing information
  • Providing connections to county and state housing stakeholders
 

Please contact Greg Piduch, gpiduch@hcpcme.org for questions and additional information.

 

Links & Resources

The housing groups and organizations below serve Hancock County and the Downeast Region.

The data in our countywide housing needs assessment can help Hancock County communities support funding applications or otherwise serve informational and educational needs. The websites below also provide useful and informative housing data.

The websites and tools below can aid Hancock County residents in searching for safe and affordable housing.

Over the last 10 years there have been several reports and studies that have analyzed housing conditions both statewide and in Hancock County specifically. HCPC published its Hancock County Housing Needs Assessment in January 2025.

Statewide and Federal opportunities for funding and development assistance.

MaineHousing Programs and Services:

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Programs:

Current Housing Work

HCPC was awarded its second Housing Opportunity Program Service Provider Grant in May 2025. With assistance through this grant HCPC will be working on a variety of projects throughout 2025 and 2026:

Additionally, HCPC is supporting the towns of Castine and Sullivan with the management of Municipal Housing Grants that were awarded to the two towns in 2025 for projects at both the municipal and regional levels. These include:

  • hosting monthly housing forums for both the Blue Hill Peninsula and Schoodic regions of the county. These began in 2025 will continue to take place throughout 2026. 
  • partnering with a consortium of towns on the Blue Hill Peninsula as part of a collaborative effort to increase and diversify the supply of housing in the region. Learn more at https://hoopmaine.org/.
  • assisting the town’s of Gouldsboro and Sullivan with parcel feasibility studies on sites identified for future residential development.

Recent Housing Work

The Hancock County Planning Commission was awarded its first Service Provider Grant through the Housing Opportunity Program in November 2023. With assistance through this grant, HCPC completed several projects to help increase housing opportunities throughout the county:

  • HCPC used this funding to support our revived “Striking A Balance” workshop series, including its first housing workshop, the “How of Housing” in January 2024 in partnership with the Island Institute. HCPC also worked with several towns throughout the county on writing housing and land use chapters for comprehensive plans and on reviewing and revising ordinances for compliance with LD 2003.

Regional Housing Forums

HCPC is supporting two Regional Housing Forums—one for the Blue Hill Peninsula and one for the Schoodic Area—funded through Maine’s Housing Opportunity Program. These forums bring together municipal officials, community members, and housing professionals to discuss shared housing needs, concerns, and opportunities. Regular meetings provide a consistent space for conversation, peer learning, and collaboration across town lines. Sessions include facilitated discussions, guest speakers, and presentations from housing experts. 

Click on a button below to take you to our regional forum webpages.

Blue Hill Peninsula Housing Forum
Schoodic Peninsula Housing Forum

LD 2003

LD 2003 was signed into law in 2022 with the goal of removing barriers to increase housing opportunities throughout the state. For municipalities that enact ordinances by municipal officer without further action or approval by voters this law had an implementation date of January 1, 2024. For municipalities with all other forms of government, the implementation date was July 1, 2024. The updated final rule for LD 2003 went into effect on October 1, 2023 and can be read in-full under “LD 2003 Resources”, linked here.

HCPC has helped municipalities bring Land Use ordinances into compliance with this new law with funding through its DECD Service Provider Grant and additional support and resources through the Housing Opportunity Program. If your town still needs to bring its land use ordinances into compliance with this law, contact us to see how HCPC can assist with this process.

LD 1829 

Building off LD 2003, LD 1829 was signed into law in June 2025 with the goal of amending laws governing municipal land use decisions in the state to remove barriers to housing production. This law has an implementation date of July 1, 2027 for all municipalities. The Maine Office of Community Affairs’ Housing Opportunity Program has begun offering Municipal Ordinance Development Grants to assist municipalities in bringing land use ordinances into compliance with this and additional pieces of new legislation. Learn more here and apply for this funding here through July 31, 2026. Contact HCPC to see how our staff can assist with this process. This law:

  • establishes the Housing Development Resolution Board within the judicial branch;
  • requires a municipality to allow a certain number of dwelling units per lot depending on whether the lot is in a designated growth area or is served by public water and sewer;
  • requires members of municipal planning committees to attend land use planning training;
  • requires a municipality to allow an affordable housing development to exceed any height restrictions by no more than 14 feet;
  • prohibits a municipality from enacting an ordinance that limits the rate of growth of residential development in a designated growth area;
  • prohibits a municipality from establishing or enforcing a minimum lot size requirement greater than 5,000 square feet per dwelling unit to be served by public water and public sewer;
  • limits municipal review for an affordable housing density bonus and a development with 4 or fewer units to administrative review
The Maine Office of Community Affairs has published an updated guidance document on LD 2003, LD 1829, and additional pieces of housing legislation.