The Boothbay Regional Development Corporation (BRDC) was formed to help tackle the housing crisis in the Boothbay region through the development of newly constructed homes, adding to the available and affordable housing stock in the Boothbay region. One of the earliest endeavors of the organization was to secure non-profit status with the Internal Revenue Service, allowing donors to the organization to receive tax benefits for their contributions. BRDC recently received notification that 501(c)(3) designation has been granted to the organization, retroactive to June of 2022.

BRDC has sought and found a site in Boothbay large enough to make a significant contribution to the local housing stock that is affordable and available to the local workforce. The 30-acre site on Butler Road in Boothbay is under contract to BRDC and the purchase will be completed later this month.

BRDC was grateful to receive support from Boothbay voters at the town meeting on May 1 of this year where they approved the $50,000 ARPA funding request. In addition, the voters approved the expansion of the existing Tax Increment Financing district, which will allow infrastructure including water and sewer to be extended down Butler Road to the site that BRDC has under contract.

Environmental, Geotechnical, and Civil Engineering for the infrastructure extension will be complete by the end of June 2023. Construction is expected to begin in the winter of 2023-2024. The first of several phases of housing construction on the Butler Road site will consist of 24 for-sale condominiums targeted at households making less than 80% of AMI ($64,400 for a family of four). Future phases will include single-family and multi-family housing, both for-sale and for-rent. A range of housing choice is the intended outcome. A combination of private donations and public grants are needed to accomplish this plan.