Sustainable Year-Round Housing
As the real estate market has evolved over the last few decades, affordable homes on Chebeague have become increasingly scarce. In general, the high demand for real estate has translated into less availability and higher costs for year round homes. We realize that sustainable housing is a key to having a sustainable year-round community: one that is generationally and economically diverse and preserves what makes this island so special to so many. This is an opportunity for us to make a long-term investment in our future - in ways that our children and their children will benefit from.
Currently, our Build Team, comprised of both Board and community members, is working on design. The members of our team are: Melissa Ames, Rich Crapser, Bob Earnest, Deb Hall, Bill McKenzie, and Hank Wetham. Learn more about our Housing Project Teams.
Below is information about CICA’s previous work with creating housing on the island.
Past Projects
226 South Road was CICA’s first acquisition in its work on Year Round Housing. The original plan was to rent the home on an affordable basis and then perhaps to sell it on an affordable basis at some point in the future. CICA is pleased with how this home has helped towards our mission of sustainable year round community on Chebeague; and, with how it has helped us build our knowledge base on how such a project works.
This home was rented by a new family on Chebeague in 2013, with option to buy. The sale transaction closed in early 2014
CICA learned in early 2010 that MaineHousing had been given $2 million to work on affordable, year round housing on unbridged islands. We applied for a grant of $350 thousand with which the guidelines would allow us to build a 2-apartment duplex. We asked the Town of Chebeague for land on School House Road that had long been designated for such a project; approval was given at Town Meeting. The structure was built at Keiser Home’s modular home factory in Oxford, ME, and was set in place starting May of 2012. 2 new island families moved in, during the fall of 2012.