Angus King III unveiled an ambitious housing plan in Portland Tuesday that involves building 10,000 housing units per year by the end of his first term if elected Maine’s next governor.
The son of the current U.S. senator and former two-term Maine governor said he brings experience in affordable housing development over his opponents. King used to be a project developer at the Portland-based Wishcamper Group before launching his company Peaks Renewables which operates an anaerobic digester in the town of Clinton.
King said his housing plan will focus on easing local zoning ordinances and increasing the construction workforce to make building units easier.
“I think we’re in a moment where very few people can afford [a home], certainly young people can’t afford it,” King said. “That’s one of the big worries for me on this campaign, is the number of people who feel like they’ve just lost faith in the American Dream.”
A 2023 study commissioned by MaineHousing, the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development showed Maine needs over 80,000 new housing units by 2030 to meet rising demand.
King’s plan to cut red tape matches similar promises by his opponents. But in a press release, he emphasized the need for housing at all income levels and a method to track Maine’s housing goals.
“Maine’s housing crisis is an emergency, and it’s time we started treating it like one,” King III said. “If FEMA can build housing quickly when disaster strikes, we should be able to build housing quickly for Maine families who need a place to live. I’ve built housing for thousands of people and know we can do this — but only if we get serious, move faster, and stop getting in our own way.”
King is one of five democrats vying for a chance at the Blaine House ahead of the June 9 primary.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
