Dear Editor:

I received an update from Lincoln County that includes several recent enactments designed to overcrowd year-round residential “affordable” housing to an even greater degree than previously allowed.

The first thing I read in H.P. 1224 - L.D. 1829, is that fire suppression sprinklers are not required for an accessory dwelling unit unless the accessory dwelling unit is within or attached to a structure of more than 2 dwelling units.

The relaxation of fire protection standards targets overcrowded housing zones

The purpose of the accessory dwelling unit is to amplify overcrowding, justified by the “underproduction of housing” narrative introduced after the commissioners announced that short-term housing is affecting the housing market, but would not be included in the study, and so established short-term housing as the default housing in Maine state-municipal ordinances.

A second report identifies that “seasonal or alternative housing” has been at 17 % of year-round housing for years, and is projected to be maintained, so for every “seasonal” home, plan for five year-round units in the overcrowded priority zones.

AI Overview states:

Tenement housing refers to overcrowded, poorly constructed apartment buildings, especially common in late 19th/early 20th century cities, that housed low-income families, immigrants, and the working class during rapid urbanization, (today substitute with short-term-rentalization) characterized by cramped conditions, shared facilities, and poor sanitation.

Often 4-6 stories, with many small units (3 rooms: front, kitchen, windowless bedroom) per floor, sometimes arranged like railroad cars (rooms leading through each other).

The act eliminates checks and balances for plumbing inspection, making it easier for political corruption to occur.

Upon receipt of written verification from a local plumbing inspector that a housing structure meets the requirements of this subsection, additional review or documentation by a municipality related to waste and wastewater requirements before issuing a certificate of occupancy is prohibited.

Fire safety standards are being lowered in tenement zones. If fire breaks out in an accessory unit, it can easily spread through the entire tenement complex.

Why is this happening? What is the justification narrative?

Susan M. Andersen

Boothbay Harbor