Rangeley staff to pursue state housing grant and convene targeted workshops

Town staff and a housing committee volunteer outlined a two-part approach to local housing needs: collect local employer and housing-demand data, then hold a pair of public workshops to vet ideas and possible development approaches. The goal is to generate local data that can support grant applications and inform what types of units (e.g., workforce housing, smaller infill units) the town should pursue.

The town manager said he is authorized to submit a state grant application (no local match required) intended to help municipalities comply with statewide mandates; the board agreed to route local work through the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee (CPIC) for coordination and to provide staff latitude to proceed with the application and initial public outreach. A board member emphasized not to circumvent CPIC and asked that the committee be part of the process. "The grant application could be general — it's about complying with state mandates," one participant said. Staff will return with a schedule for workshops and a local data collection plan.