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Did you hear? Last week, the Maine legislature and Governor Mills (D) passed a major bipartisan housing and zoning reform bill that lays out an ambitious, state-driven plan to ease the housing crisis for Mainers by enacting many of the pro-homes policies we want to see in Connecticut. Our friends at Desegregate CT summarized the highlights of the bill in a recent email:

• Calls on municipalities to create "Priority Development Zones" to allow home construction near public infrastructure like transportation, schools, parks, and other services provided by the locality
• Legalizes Accessory Dwelling Units on all single-family home lots
• Legalizes 2-family homes on any residential lots and 4-family homes in "Priority Development Zones"
• Requires municipalities to allow more affordable housing at deeper & longer affordability
• Caps parking mandates to 2 parking spaces for every 3 units

You’ve probably heard us lament that bad land use policy affects us all, and so it’s encouraging to see this kind of progress regionally in New England. CIL just got back from the Maine Association for Community Service Providers (MACSP) Conference in Portland, and we are excited at the prospect of working with Maine Providers on developing more housing options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If you’re interested in learning more about working with CIL, please reach out to Director of Strategic Partnerships Samantha VanSchoick.

Want to learn more about how zoning reform can benefit everyone, but especially people with disabilities? Check out this presentation by CIL Vice President of Real Estate Development Chris Canna and Abundant Housing Massachusetts Executive Director Jesse Kanson-Benanav to The Arc of Massachusetts, webinar content begins at 4:40: