A Legislative Update with Elizabeth Frazier of Pierce Atwood and Jason Howe of Preti Flaherty

A Legislative Update with Elizabeth Frazier of Pierce Atwood and Jason Howe of Preti Flaherty

Elizabeth (Beth) Frazier, Partner at Pierce Atwood, and Jason Howe, Partner and chair of the Real Estate and Finance Practice Group at Preti Flaherty, sit down with MEREDA President Shannon Richards for MEREDA Matters – the podcast that lets you listen in on conversations with people driving responsible development in Maine.

In this episode, Frazier and Howe provide a legislative update, setting the stage for what is going on in Augusta during the 132nd Legislature. The group focuses their discussion on the three bills that MEREDA has put forth this session including, LD 435, LD1396, and the yet to be printed “WIN” Act. Delving into LD 435, an expansion of the historic tax credit, the group discusses how this piece of legislation pays for itself and acts as an affordable housing booster while also contributing to the state’s climate resilience. LD 1396 is an act that amends Maine’s subdivision standards in two ways. The group discusses the goal for this bill: encouraging small scale infill development in rural areas and promoting the creation of housing units in existing structures such as mills throughout the state.

Frazier, Howe, and Richards then go on to explore the upcoming bill known as the “WIN” Act or the “Workforce Infill Neighborhoods” Act. Ultimately, this is a bill that will provide density bonuses to build more workforce housing. The group discusses the need for more regular housing for regular people in Maine. The hope is that this bill will be a “win-win” by incentivizing developers to build and requiring landlords to rent to the “missing middle” of the housing market.

What are Frazier and Howe hopeful for in the coming legislation? Listen to the episode to find out!