Hugs, Hope, and Homes: Mount Desert 365 Breaks Ground on Affordable Housing Project
Jun 13, 2025
NORTHEAST HARBOR—Champagne poured into plastic glasses, shovels hit the earth, but one of the most striking aspects of Mount Desert 365’s groundbreaking for a new duplex at Nolan Road was the hugs.
The hugs were often. The hugs were plentiful. People smiled and laughed and teased each other. They caught up on news. Children were held and cooed over and comforted. Heartfelt thank you’s resonated through the air along with a little banter.
The celebration and the thanks related to that celebration was all about creating one thing: new homes for people who need them in a county where available and affordable homes are a scarce commodity.
The nonprofit is doing something about it, and for a few moments Thursday afternoon they paused and celebrated what they’d created.
The Summit Housing Project now has a new name.
“These homes are now going to be addressed as 2 and 4 Nolan Way,” Mount Desert 365 Executive Director Kathleen Miller said, “and will share a driveway with our lovely neighbor, Joelle Nolan.”
The site is close to the town’s school and library and easily walkable to Main Street.
“Housing—year round housing, affordable housing—is the most important issue to be solved. It touches every aspect of our lives. The quality of schools, the education you can have, the fire department and all the needs, the EMTs and even in our hospital situation,” Miller said. “The reason the delivery department closed is because we don’t have enough babies born on the island because we don’t have enough people who can live here affordably.”
This is a step toward making that possible, Miller said.
“This has been a … project and I think it’s very fitting for the town of Mount Desert,” said board member Rick Savage. “We have a lot of very positive things in our village. We have one of the finest marinas, beautiful school, library, churches, and beautiful homes. Our coastline is magnificent. One thing that we don’t have Is affordable housing and we’re not alone. This is a major effort on our part to bring some year-round members back into the community and add to the lifestyle. I’m very happy to be part of this project.”
The homes off Nolan Lane will be a 1,564 sq. ft. three-bedroom home, and a 1,274 sq. ft. two-bedroom home.
Each will be two stories and have basements.
Mount Desert 365 is working with Showcase Homes of Maine in Brewer and hopes to have it done by fall.
“We hope to do a whole lot more. We are so grateful to have all of you here to support us on this road together. It’s an important mission for all of us. We’re going to keep fighting the good fight,” Miller said to cheers.
Organizations like the Hancock County Planning Commission (HCPC) have recently estimated that Hancock County will need up to 3,7000 additional housing units by 2030.
A recent HCPC report found that approximately one-third of the county’s workers are in the retail and food service industries. Typically, those industries don’t provide wages that are high enough to buy homes at the current prices homes in the Mount Desert Island region are going for.
There are currently 22 homes for sale in Mount Desert. Twelve of those homes are over $1 million. Only one is less than $589,000. That is a $69,000, 924-square-foot home at 7 Kings Park Way.
There are also not a plethora of year-round rentals in the region.
HCPC estimates a living wage for one adult without children is $22.89/hour and for two adults with just one working and two children that would be $42.61/hour.
In a housing analysis for the town of Bar Harbor, RKG Associates referenced Maine estimates that said that Mount Desert’s population is likely to increase by 15 between 2018 and 2028. This would be an increase from 1,015 households to 1,030. The state projects the population of Mount Desert will increase by 4.9% between 2020 and 2030.
Costs to build homes, costs of supplies for contractors, lack of workers to build those homes, aging housing stock are also factors.
There is also limited land on Mount Desert Island where people can build. People cannot build in Acadia National Park, which comprises a significant portion of the island. A lack of available and affordable houses makes it hard to attract employees and keep many younger employees and families.
Currently, there are three organizations who are leading the way in the creation of affordable homes: Island Housing Trust, Mount Desert 365, and MDI Housing Solutions Initiative, which is a collaboration between the Musson Group and Island Housing Trust.
Mount Desert 365’s goal is to improve the economy of Mount Desert so it thrives on a year-round basis. The major component is housing because the organization believes that people need to be in a town, living, in order for that town to thrive year-round.
The Nolan Homes are meant to be for median-income year-round residents, who are able to secure bank financing.
There will be eligibility criteria for prospective homeowners with income caps tied to state median income levels, and requirements that any future sale of the properties be made only to other such eligible households.
It has to be the primary residence and households with 3-6 people for the three-bedroom home and 2-4 people for the two bedroom home at the time of purchase. Income eligibility will be based on household size and Maine median income to create a threshold. Owners will also have to agree to affordability covenants about the home’s future sale.
Photos: Carrie Jones/Bar Harbor Story
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Rick Osann Art.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Friends of Acadia housing article
MDI Housing Solutions
Heel Way Subdivision Configuration Not Being Changed
Mount Desert’s “Hornet’s Nest” Continues
Where Will All The Workers Go?
Creativity Needed To Help Make Housing More Affordable
HCPC’s Hancock County Housing Needs Assessment
Correction! I absolutely misheard Kathy Miller state the name of Joelle Nolan. I’ve corrected that error at 8:28 a.m., June 13 and send so many apologies to Joelle.
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