Landon Woods: Kennebunkport group aims to build new neighborhood with affordable homes

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — The new year has brought a new development proposal for the Kennebunkport Heritage Housing Trust as the organization officially begins pursuing its vision of a new neighborhood called Landon Woods.

The group is proposing to build three duplexes, each on a separate lot, for six homes off Beachwood Avenue. The new homes would be the latest crop built by the organization as it follows its mission to create 25 new affordable homes in Kennebunkport.

The development is slated to be built near a former quarry, in a wooded stretch on Beachwood, a quarter mile past Rotary Park from North Street. Landon Woods will be on the right side of this area, said Select Board member Jon Dykstra of the trust.

The housing trust was scheduled to appear with its sketch plan before the Kennebunkport Planning Board on Jan. 3.

According to Kennebunkport Heritage Housing Trust Executive Director Larissa Crockett, three homes will have a single story, two bedrooms and one-and-a-half bathrooms and will cover 800 square feet and 1,000 square feet. The other three will have three bedrooms, between one-and-a-half and two bathrooms and will have footprints between 1,100 square feet and 1,400 square feet.

“All homes shall be built in a classic New England style in keeping with the historic aesthetic of Kennebunkport,” according to the request for proposal the trust released to potential builders.

Crockett said a site walk by the Planning Board likely will be the next step for the project, once the sketch plan has been presented. She said the trust hopes to receive final approval from the board by late spring or early summer.

“Construction should start this summer,” Crockett added. “We plan to build all six homes as simultaneously as possible and plan to have homes for sale in fall 2025.”

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Making housing accessible to working families and seniors

According to Crockett, homes built by Kennebunkport Heritage Housing Trust are affordable in that the total cost of one – when the mortgage, taxes and insurance are figured in – does not exceed about 30% of the new homeowner’s household income.

“Half of the homes will be affordable to households earning 80% of the area median income, and half will be affordable to people earning up to 120% of the area median income,” Crockett explained.

Home prices will be determined based on the total cost of the project, the organization’s success in fundraising to subsidize the homes, and the incomes of the homebuyers.

“We expect homes to sell somewhere between $250,000 and $340,000,” Crockett said.

Homes sold by Kennebunkport Heritage Housing Trust remain affordable for the life of the home, Crockett added.

“This means that any future buyer will also be income-qualified at the same level as the original buyer,” she said. “There is a cap on the resale price of each home to make this possible.”

Crockett said the perpetual affordability of the organization’s homes is “vital to the success of our mission to sustain Kennebunkport as a year-round community by providing housing accessible to working families and seniors.”

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Kennebunkport group eyes land for more affordable housing

The Kennebunkport Heritage Housing Trust formed in 2019 as a response to the real estate market and how it prevented young people and people who worked in the community from being able to afford a home in town.

In 2023, the group worked with architects and engineers to identify future build sites and understand their potential, according to Crockett. The organization also enhanced the landscaping at Heritage Woods, the first neighborhood it created, off School Street.

The organization also created a new Stewardship Committee to serve the needs of its current residents and future homeowners. The group also held its first-ever Pickleball Classic fundraiser, which Crockett described as a “truly smashing and dinking success.”

As for 2024, the group hopes to welcome new members onto its board of directors and committees.

“We have a lot of work to do in the next two years and beyond, and this is definitely one of those situations where many hands do make for lighter work,” Crockett said.

Crockett added that the organization also needs to encourage Maine Governor Janet Mills and the Legislature to replenish the funds in the Affordable Homeownership Fund at MaineHousing.

“Nonprofit builders like Kennebunkport Heritage Housing Trust rely on the $70,000 per-unit subsidy this fund provides to make our bottom-line work,” she said. “This fund is running out of money and needs to be replenished.”

Also, in 2024, the group hopes to secure land for its next project after Landon Woods. According to Crockett, it took 17 months to clear the title for the Beachwood Avenue property and led to a dry spell in the organization’s home construction.

“We have the capacity and desire to move forward with another project in 2024,” Crockett said. We just need the land ... If anyone has a few acres they are looking to donate, please let us know.”

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunkport group pitches new neighborhood with affordable homes