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Planning board weighs HRNA housing assessment, steering committee and timeline
Summary
Scarborough Planning Board discussed HRNA's draft housing assessment scope, asked the consultant to emphasize actionable solutions for the 'missing middle,' recommended a steering committee of roughly a dozen stakeholders, and set an August target for council funding consideration with final deliverables likely by year‑end.
The Scarborough Planning Board discussed a proposed housing assessment from consultant HRNA, focusing on refining the scope, possible cost negotiations and a steering committee to keep the work locally focused. The meeting transcript did not specify the meeting date.
Board members said they want HRNA to produce not only diagnostics but practical options and examples from other communities. One member (identified in the transcript as Zam) raised concerns that HRNA’s proposed income band (roughly 60–140% of area median income) may not capture Scarborough’s "missing middle" and asked whether a higher AMI threshold should be considered. Members asked the consultant to compare higher-priced markets and to clarify which local data would be updated versus reused.
Members supported forming a steering or advisory committee to guide the assessment. The consultant recommended up to about a dozen participants representing a cross-section of stakeholders — developers, realtors, employers or chamber representatives, nonprofit service providers, visiting nurses or hospice, residents and, possibly, county or state representatives. The board discussed committee composition, suggested recruiting local representatives, and agreed to draft a short "elevator pitch" describing the time commitment and role before soliciting nominees.
On deliverables and timing, members discussed a digital report and a hosted dashboard. They asked HRNA to clarify whether the deliverable would include publicly useful homeowner/homebuyer resources as well as an internal performance dashboard for board tracking. The consultant indicated an aggressive timeline if work began in August, with initial targets in the fall; board members said they would be comfortable with an end‑of‑year delivery and requested a milestone/Gantt chart from HRNA.
The board agreed to prepare a concise request to the Town Council to secure funding (members noted the town’s affordable housing initiative fund as a potential fit). The transcript records that council meets infrequently in July and August; members identified August as the likely target for requesting approval and understood incremental deliverables could be acceptable if the schedule slipped.
Staff also briefed members on related matters: the council recently passed a first reading of proposed growth-permit allocations for one year as the town addresses state law changes; staff reported the town has not used all permitted allocations under the current methodology in recent years. A board member said county officials are exploring housing work in Bridgton using leftover ARPA funds and will keep Scarborough informed, but those funds will not directly finance the town’s study.
Earlier in the meeting the board approved the minutes from the May 27, 2026 meeting by voice vote. No public commenters were present online and the board adjourned.
What’s next: board members will refine scope feedback and seek clarification from HRNA about costs, dashboard functionality and a milestone schedule; they will assemble nominee suggestions for a steering committee and target August for a council funding request. The transcript does not provide a meeting date for this session.
