Saco residents urge council to block steep lot‑rent hikes; council asks staff to research moratorium

SACO, Maine — Dozens of Saco residents, many of them retirees and fixed‑income households from Blue Haven Mobile Home Park, urged the City Council on Monday to halt steep lot‑rent increases and to press the park’s owner to address maintenance and safety problems.

“Every time our rent goes up, they always say it’s maintenance,” said Dan Richards, who described deferred repairs at the park and said about 40% of residents there are retired. “When this rent goes up, we’re gonna lose neighbors.”

Several speakers described the same pattern: modest annual increases for years, followed by larger hikes since the park’s ownership changed. Jennifer Craigon told the council that when she moved into Blue Haven in 2003 her lot rent was $295; she said the lot rent was $515 as of January 2025 and that the park has since added a separate water charge. “I can’t afford that,” she said.

Residents and advocates provided multiple individual examples of problems they say park management has not fixed: water‑billing changes with no clear explanation of pass‑through charges; missing promised repairs such as septic‑pipe covers; a series of unlit streets and potholes; and downed trees and debris left unrepaired after storms. Several residents said they have medical or mobility needs that make moving difficult.

“Limited income with an increase in lot rent will mean more reliance on public assistance,” Craigon said.

Deputy City Administrator Emily Prescott told the council staff had compiled ordinance language from neighboring communities and analyzed state law timelines. “What I’m thinking I’m hearing is that you’re looking for a temporary, temporary stay on lot rental increases until the state law becomes effective,” she said. Prescott said staff will return with additional research — including potential positive and negative effects of a moratorium — at the Oct. 20 council meeting.

Councilor Nathan Johnston said he supports an emergency moratorium to give residents and the park time to align with the new state rules. Councilor Berman and others asked staff to attempt outreach to the park’s management to understand the owner’s plans for rent adjustments and deferred maintenance.

Speakers reported multiple concrete rent figures: several residents said Blue Haven raised lot rent about $35 in January and that park management has told residents of an additional increase of about $145 set for December; staff noted that new‑move‑in rates advertised for the park were as high as $750. Other residents said the park is attempting to bring older lots up to a single standardized monthly rate, which could increase some long‑standing residents’ rents further.

City officials said Saco has one large organized mobile home park under the management model described by residents; a smaller cluster of units on Portland Road exists but is not organized in the same way. Staff said they will return Oct. 20 with legal and policy options, and with suggested language if the council wishes to consider a temporary stay while state rules are clarified.

Residents asked the council for an interim six‑month moratorium; councilors did not vote on a moratorium Monday but directed staff to bring a draft and related analysis for the council’s consideration at the next meeting.

Residents who spoke included Dan Richards, Sarah Belanger, John Veidt, Sarah Gardner, Gary Gardner, Jennifer Craigon, Hope Lambert, Mary Lynn Leach, Linda Daniels, Kathleen Felton, Christine Boothby, Karen Forbes and others.