The City Council hosted a series of housing panels last week, including a panel on affordable housing.
'Kevin Bunker advised the council to stay away from putting all of their faith in the Maine Housing programs as a sole source of producing affordable housing.
“It’s not going to get us there,” Bunker said. “Maine Housing resources are limited. They’re limited in the amount of tax credit subsidy they can give away, and frankly, they’re limited by how fast they can process projects.”
Instead, in addition to using Maine Housing to create affordable housing, Biddeford should look at “small A” affordable housing.
This type of affordable housing doesn’t have major state subsidies, doesn’t run through Maine Housing, and doesn’t have major complex financing schemes.
“That is a way to expand the pool of affordable housing beyond the limits of what Maine Housing can do,” Bunker said.'
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