The pleasures and pressures of Vacationland

By GRACE MURPHY, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2001 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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Robert and Karen Wagner's pursuit of the perfect summer home took them months of searching coastal states from Rhode Island to Maine.

Cape Cod was beautiful, but too crowded. Rhode Island lacked welcoming neighbors. But Wells Beach, Maine, had everything they were looking for – sandy beaches, fine dining and a small-town feel.

"We just fell in love with Wells," Robert Wagner said. "We liked the slower pace, we liked less traffic and congestion."

People like the Wagners have given Maine a higher percentage of seasonal and recreational housing than any other state in the nation, new figures from the 2000 U.S. Census show. Nearly 16 percent of Maine's housing consists of beach cottages, ski retreats and hunting lodges that are used by owners who call somewhere else home.

For resort communities, these seasonal residents are a boon. They inject money into local economies. The state benefits from the additional sales tax revenue, and municipalities reap more in property taxes without having to pay more for big expenses, like schools.

But there is also a downside to this seasonal migration. Traffic grows more congested, seats become scarce at church and longer lines form at favorite restaurants. More seriously, the seasonal housing market inflates the cost of real estate in resort communities.

"If you're getting municipal property taxes off a home that's worth $1 million or $500,000, that's a considerable amount of property taxes and obviously it helps pay for services," said Michael Starn, spokesman for the Maine Municipal Association. "At the same time, if local people are living in houses that are of a similar nature and their values go up and they don't have the income to pay the taxes, that's the sharper side of the sword."

Seasonal housing units – those intended for occupancy during only certain seasons of the year – are counted in the census as a type of vacancy. Out of Maine's 651,901 housing units, 15.6 percent are seasonal properties. The housing category does not include seasonal motels or hotels, according to census officials.

In 1990, seasonal property accounted for 15 percent of all housing units. The number of seasonal units increased by 13,431 during the 10 years covered by the census, from 88,039 in 1990 to 101,470 in 2000.

Local officials say the reason there was not much of a percentage increase over the past decade is that seasonal properties were likely renovated to become year-round properties.

SEASONAL HOUSING

Maine has the highest percentage of seasonal housing of any state in the nation, according to the 2000 census. Here is a list of selected communities, and what percentage of their total housing is made up of vacation homes. Boothbay 40.2% Bar Harbor 18.7% Camden 12.6% Carrabassett Valley 88.7% Cumberland 11.9% Mount Desert 46.5% Ogunquit 65.2% Old Orchard Beach 24.7% Rangely 64.8% Scarborough 7.9% Sebago 6.9% Wells 44.4% York 33.1% The following states have the highest percentage of seasonal homes: Maine 15.6% Vermont 14.6% New Hampshire, 10.3% Alaska 8.2% Delaware, 7.6% Florida, 6.6% Arizona 6.5% Wisconsin 6.1% Montana, 5.9% Hawaii, 5.6% New England States Maine 15.6% Vermont 14.6% New Hampshire, 10.3% Massachusetts 3.6% Rhode Island 3.0% Connecticut 1.7% Source: U.S. Census SPECIAL REPORT Visit Census 2000, an ongoing special report on the census information and how it affects Maine's cities and towns. We have news, analysis, charts, maps and more. To top of story

Counties with the highest percentage of housing occupied on a seasonal basis include Piscataquis County, with 40 percent; Franklin County, 33.9 percent; Hancock County, 31.4 percent; Lincoln County, 28.1 percent; and Oxford County, with 25.3 percent.

York County has the highest number of seasonal housing units, at 16,597, followed by Cumberland County, 10,846; Hancock County, 10,672; Oxford County, 8,163; and Franklin County, with 6,493.

York County draws summer visitors to its sandy beaches and expansive lakes. Cumberland County is also popular among vacationers for its beaches, islands and lakes. Hancock County is well known for Mount Desert Island and other islands, and coastal and lake offerings. Oxford and Franklin counties each have popular lakes and mountains.

Nancy Wakefield lives year-round in the York County town of Shapleigh. In the summer, she watches her town's population of 2,326 more than double because of the seasonal residents who return each year to enjoy homes near Mousam Lake and Square Pond.

The town has 850 units of seasonal housing, almost 50 more than Boothbay and nearly as many as high-traffic tourist destinations like Kennebunkport and Mount Desert Island.

"It's crazy," Wakefield said. "The traffic on Route 109 here between Shapleigh and Acton gets very busy in the summertime."

The local convenience store needs four people on duty to keep up with the demand, she said.

As a resident who lives along a lake, Wakefield prefers the quiet that follows the summer season. But as an associate broker with Century 21 Samia Realty in Sanford, she finds that residents from away are great for business.

"Most of the people who come into our office are very friendly, and a lot come in," she said. "All in all, it's excellent for the economy."

The Wagners, who bought their summer house in Wells 11 years ago, are considering eventually moving from Westfield, Mass., full-time when they retire from the carpet business.

"Our neighbors, some of them have been here for years, and they feel like family," Robert Wager said.

Gerald Mylroie, the town's director of planning and economic development, said that most seasonal residents in Wells are like the Wagners, in that they pay taxes on their homes but do not require school department services because they do not have any children in school.

"Most are middle- to senior-aged adults without children. Therefore, they're not creating additional demand for public education programs," he said.

There is an increased demand on the water and sewer systems, but the additional expense is usually covered by the taxes collected on the seasonal properties, Mylroie said.

Still, there are problems in other resort communities.

Old Orchard Beach officials say their public safety and school budgets are strained when people stay – illegally – in summer housing over the winter. It's not unusual to find a family of five living in a summer efficiency apartment without heat during the winter, said Police Chief Dana Kelley.

"That breeds all kinds of problems," he said. "It impacts the schools, because the kids have to go to school. We're stretched because the tough living conditions typically lead to domestic situations."

Seasonal housing has also made year-round rental housing scarce in York County's beach communities because property owners find it more profitable to rent to summer residents, said Jonathan Lockman, planning director at the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission.

"In Kennebunk or York or Wells, you have a really hard time finding year-round units to pick up because the supply is reserved for the summer market," Lockman said. "In order to have affordable housing and enable people to attract jobs to the area, there needs to be some type of rental housing market."

Wakefield, the associate real estate broker, expects the demand for seasonal housing to increase, especially in southern Maine, once Amtrak begins its long-anticipated passenger train service between Boston and Portland.

"Most of my clients are from Massachusetts, and they want to be within two hours of Boston. They want to be in Maine to vacation or even a place to stay," she said.

Staff Writer Grace Murphy can be contacted at 282-8228 or at: gmurphy@pressherald.com

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