Housing committee presents draft lot-rent stabilization ordinance as council prepares next steps

Craig Saddleer, chair of the Lewiston Housing Committee, and Jackie Sawyer, assistant community development manager, presented highlights of a draft lot‑rent stabilization ordinance the committee developed in response to a council request and a city moratorium on lot‑rent increases that ends in September.

The proposed ordinance defines a new term, “total recurring charges” (TRC), to capture monthly mandatory charges residents must pay (lot rent plus recurring, non‑optional fees such as water if billed by the park, per‑occupant fees and similar mandatory charges). Saddleer said TRC is intended to reflect the actual monthly cost residents cannot opt out of without moving their home. Optional charges and fines would not be included in TRC, nor would separate financing for the mobile home itself.

Under the draft, TRC increases would be permitted once per year and limited by a table that ties allowable percent increases to a housing‑inflation number published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The table produces larger allowable increases for lots currently below a target TRC range (roughly $420–$465 in the committee’s model) and smaller allowable increases for higher‑rent lots; the ordinance would also include a 2% minimum cap on allowable increases and a 20% statutory maximum. Saddleer said the system is designed to be responsive to differences across Lewiston’s parks rather than adopt a single flat cap.

The draft would require park owners to have current licenses and no outstanding health or safety violations before issuing increases, and to provide at least 90 days’ written notice that itemizes the TRC components, dollar and percent changes and the new total. Resident‑owned parks and lots subject to restrictive affordability requirements (for example, certain HUD contract conditions) would be exempt from the increase limits; small portfolios (owner holdings totaling 25 licensed lots or fewer) would also be exempt from the cap but would still have to provide the same notice.

Park owners may apply to exceed the increase limits with documented justification tied to capital improvements or demonstrable operating need; such applications would be spaced at least 36 months apart and subject to administrative review. Saddleer said the draft also creates a rent stabilization board with seats representing housing management, finance expertise, tenant perspectives (not current park tenants), a city staff seat and other public members; park owners with direct stakes in local parks could not serve.

Councilors praised the committee’s work but pressed for clarity on the table’s calculations and the meaning of the “2% minimum cap.” Saddleer and Sawyer clarified the 2% figure is the minimum allowable percentage in the cap schedule (not a mandatory annual increase) and said staff would re‑label the term to avoid confusion. Councilors asked about potential chilling effects on new park investment, impacts on home values, and how the ordinance compares with other Maine communities; presenters said the committee had reviewed other municipal programs and tailored the draft to Lewiston’s wide rent distribution.

Members of the public who spoke during the meeting expressed mixed views: some urged protections for mobile‑home owners—many of whom are seniors and people on fixed incomes—citing the difficulty and cost of moving a manufactured home; park owners and operators warned of declines in property values and potential impacts on sales and expansion decisions, sharing local examples of reduced offers attributed to rent‑regulation trends elsewhere. Presenters pointed to a May 14 public forum with more than 100 attendees and asked council to use the workshop feedback to refine the draft before formal hearings and readings.

Next steps: the committee emphasized this was a workshop and not a final ordinance; council will consider formal first and second readings at future meetings, with additional public comment periods required before adoption.