August 2006
Two
municipalities defeat housing plan
Bread of Life Ministries faces challenges common
to service agencies
In February 2006 John Applin, director of the Augusta-based
Bread of Life Ministries, took a plan to the Vassalboro Planning
Board to build five affordable rental units for homeless families
on an 11 acre parcel. From the start the plan met with
opposition from neighbors, but the planning board never officially
turned the faith-based community services agency down. Hoping
to avoid further conflict in Vassalboro, Applin decided to
combine the plan with one for an additional 10 units of transitional
housing on a parcel on Augusta 's West River Road.
Pending approval for the Augusta project, Bread of Life Ministries
approached the Genesis Fund about a loan for the newly conceived
15-unit project. The loan application was scheduled
for review by Genesis' Loan Committee prior to a board of
directors meeting on August 4. Despite the need for
both permanent affordable rental units and transitional housing
for homeless families in the Kennebec region, the Augusta
Planning Board denied the proposal at its July meeting, bowing
to charges of “incompatibility” by residents of a nearby subdivision.
That the Augusta Planning Board recently approved a truck
maintenance facility on an abutting property seemed to call
the decision into question to many involved in the project.
While a challenge to the “incompatibility” ruling could prove
successful if taken before the city's Appeals Board,
Applin was recently informed by the landowner that, due to
community pressure, he would be unwilling to extend the purchase
and sale agreement to cover an appeal period. The opportunity
to build 15 much-needed units of affordable housing in Augusta
has vanished.
But Applin was not discouraged yet. With the door not
completely closed on the Vassalboro proposal, Applin had hoped
to return to the original plan of placing five units of affordable
rental property in that community. However, the final
blow came on August 1 when the Vassalboro Planning Board voted
to postpone consideration of the project until October.
Because a funding commitment Bread of Life received from the
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development requires
substantial construction readiness by September 30, the five-unit
plan has also been defeated by local authorities.
Bread of Life Ministries is no novice when it comes to developing
affordable housing to serve Maine 's most vulnerable populations.
Since 2001 the organization has developed 17 supportive housing
units in Augusta , including a 9-unit Single Room Occupancy
(SRO) project for shelter clients, to which Genesis made a
$140,000 bridge loan.
Even in a supportive community – one where people recognize
that some citizens in their midst need additional support
in the areas of housing and employment – agencies working
on behalf of underserved Mainers face many time-consuming
challenges. In an unsupportive community, one where
the attitude of “not in my backyard” holds sway with
public boards, the challenges are often insurmountable until
people are persuaded otherwise.
The people at Bread
of Life Ministries remain commited to finding a way
to make the project work. “We are not giving up,” said
Applin. “Our board is calling together a strategy session
later this week to figure our next steps.”
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