Wells residents press select board for rent‑stabilization options as lot rents climb

Residents of Blueberry Ridge Mobile Home Park and other local manufactured‑home communities pressed the Wells Select Board on steep lot‑rent increases and long‑standing infrastructure problems at a packed meeting.

"The corporation who owns the park is raising lot rents without regard to how this action affects the housing market or the 90 plus residents who live here," Diane Whiteside, a Blueberry Ridge resident, told the board, describing annual increases that she said have made the park unaffordable for many residents. Other speakers described brown or unacceptable drinking water, costly out‑of‑pocket repairs and rising lot rents that now range from several hundred to roughly $900 for newcomers, according to public comments.

Board members heard multiple personal accounts and a request to place a local rent‑stabilization ordinance on the November ballot. Select board members noted examples from other Maine towns and discussed next steps: a staff‑led workshop to review existing ordinances and draft options, and the alternative path of a citizen petition if the board cannot move quickly. One select board member urged urgency, saying, "The longer we delay on this, the higher people's rents are gonna go up," and flagged a Sept. 7 deadline to gather signatures for a ballot initiative.

The board directed staff to schedule a workshop before the next regular meeting (Aug. 4 was discussed as a likely date) to evaluate model ordinances, review administrative mechanisms and consider protections that balance resident needs and small owners' concerns. The board did not adopt specific regulatory language or a formal stabilization ordinance at the meeting.

Next steps: staff will compile samples and legal examples for the workshop; board members said they want more information on implementation options, enforcement models and potential unintended effects such as impacts on small private owners.