AUBURN — City officials say Auburn is on track to exceed a goal set in 2021 to produce 2,000 new housing units by 2025.
During a recent City Council workshop, city staff said about 350 new units have been developed since 2020 and another 160 are under construction this year.
The city estimates another 1,900 are either in the pipeline or in discussion at the staff level.
Mayor Jason Levesque, who has not announced a reelection campaign for a third term but has pulled nomination papers, said Friday that be believes Auburn will surpass the goal he set in 2021.
“When I announced a goal of 2,000 market rate housing units by 2025, I received more than a few laughs and comments like ‘impossible,'” he said. “But, as we can clearly see, by formulating and vigorously executing a strong plan we will not only hit that goal but exceed it.”
Eric Cousens, director of permitting and code, said that between 2020 and April 1, 2023, the city added 84 new single-family or two-family homes, and 264 multi-family units.
He said since then, 20 single-family or two-family homes and 141 multi-family units have been permitted and are under construction. Those include units on Mount Auburn Avenue, Court Street and in the South Auburn turnpike area. Sasseville Properties just opened its Kittyhawk II apartment complex this week, with 48 units.
Kittyhawk Apartments II on Tailwind Ct., across from the Auburn-Lewiston Airport off Hotel Road in Auburn is reflected in Friday afternoon’s puddles. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
On top of those, he said, there are other projects that are in the development pipeline on Center Street, the former Lake Street School, Harriman Drive and more.
Since the pandemic, Auburn has taken an aggressive and proactive approach to addressing a statewide housing crisis. It was among the first municipalities to allow accessory dwelling units in residential zones — a shift that eventually became a key piece of state legislation, LD 2003, aimed at encouraging new housing.
Auburn and neighboring Lewiston have also seen more interest from developers and potential home buyers due to historically high real estate and rental prices in southern Maine.
But, the city’s growth has not come without controversy. Zoning changes to form-based code aimed at encouraging housing have been met with resistance from single family neighborhoods concerned with rapid development, and a potential zone change near Lake Auburn created a communitywide debate over water quality that is still playing out.
Developer John Gendron has previously proposed 1,100 units, which the city includes in its future housing unit estimates, on his land off Gracelawn Road, but the scope of development that can occur there is far from settled.
Jeff Harmon, who has been an active voice against rapid growth and zoning changes that he believes could change the character of neighborhoods, is campaigning for mayor this fall.
In the past few years, as Auburn has become a hot market, affordability has also become an issue.
During the recent workshop, Eric Cousens said a couple making average salaries cannot afford the average home in Auburn.
“A firefighter and teacher working for Auburn can’t afford to buy a new house in Auburn,” he said, adding that there’s “a real affordability problem due to construction costs as well as financing.”
Cousens said multifamily units have the lowest per unit cost to build, along with tiny homes and some accessory dwelling units.
The City Council on Monday is slated to discuss a shift in city ordinance to allow dwelling units under 700 square feet. Cousens called smaller homes “a real opportunity.”
Cousens said mapping shows that Auburn has “mostly stayed true” to developing the city from its “urban core” outward, a goal laid out in the Comprehensive Plan.
Following the presentation, Levesque brought up the 2,000-unit goal, stating, “From everything I’m seeing right now, it looks like were going to hit that, and then some.”
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