[{"_1":2,"_96":-5,"_97":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,84],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6367212,"mediaKeyId","2158967-ea2e5b9fb40e6fa445873ef4c33d1cde","parentId",2158967,"title","Bangor council, legislators discuss reuse of state property and mall redevelopment as housing priorities","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",1509000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158967-ea2e5b9fb40e6fa445873ef4c33d1cde&start=1509&end=1509","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158967-ea2e5b9fb40e6fa445873ef4c33d1cde/thumbnail_1509000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6367212/Bangor-City/Penobscot-County/Maine/Bangor-council-legislators-discuss-reuse-of-state-property-and-mall-redevelopment-as-housing-priorities","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6367212-a3b030b2560851a00e3e85124c51fd64/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194600&Signature=KSLAUKxZo81joVquvObXFC7hgQGGByKJOz3Szy42FxDDRGJUKxmEnW-Q6pQ1JfijAWXl0nd~djtQvnj7KgIIKatQS0CTiV3JoSrGuaDDdmxdE~ArlgcCVpVItQgN6Z~vWuM9Jm2siUnlehi84cg-T8iXCFhdsVSrAKqeJeYj9gdfwgDD3i~FWCjRu-PIn3lmXuLlJQavIPjmzELEk2UbDW0V7oJnQzzw9ISkJ8wNP6r5JKtr2dKVU6qnkDGcpsvNPxW2452cwPtl0YX7tifaBwqL20vGTziM7T3EvdLjlI8YB~CyhtNDO6hgXTzVVuvieE0ZSjnIwlDkKRSfkixjGA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Bangor","date","2025-01-06T00:00:00Z","article","Councilors and state legislators spent part of Monday’s joint meeting discussing several redevelopment opportunities and obstacles, including the city’s interest in bringing housing to the Bangor Mall site and the state-owned Dorothea Dix property.

Several legislators said they had introduced or planned legislative language to put the Bangor Mall before the Maine State Housing Authority as a potential redevelopment opportunity. A delegation member described a resolve to ask the authority to consider purchasing the mall for housing redevelopment, but noted the city is currently involved in litigation with the mall owner and that court matters may limit what the council can say publicly.

City leaders also raised concerns about the reuse of the Dorothea Dix site. Delegation members said the Department of Administrative and Financial Services is holding Dorothea Dix “in reserve” for a possible state purpose — for example, a future hospital — and that a legislative act would likely be required to transfer or repurpose the property for municipal or non‑state uses. Delegation members noted the administration had invested in maintenance and upgrades at the site and that demolition and renovation schedules have been delayed.

Councilors and legislators also discussed housing financing and the “missing middle” problem. City staff said development costs make many multi-family projects financially infeasible in the current market; the council has used ARPA dollars and other tools to buy down infrastructure costs at a 10-acre Grandview Avenue site to make projects work for developers. City officials said the per-unit construction gap for affordable multi-family housing can be on the order of $25,000–$35,000 per unit without subsidy; council staff pointed to sewer and utility upgrades as the capital pieces that would enable larger projects such as mall-area redevelopment.

Ending: Legislators asked city staff to provide specific infrastructure cost estimates and to continue coordination as bills and concept drafts take shape this week.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Workshop 1.6.25","oneSentenceSummary","Councilors and legislators discussed the possibility of redeveloping the Bangor Mall and reusing state-owned Dorothea Dix property for housing, and identified infrastructure costs as a barrier to new housing development.","taxTitle","Bangor City, Penobscot County, Maine","taxId",2586,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":42,"_43":77,"_45":77,"_46":78,"_48":79,"_50":80,"_52":81,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":82,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":83,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6367217,"Delegation, council seek stronger statewide support for shelters, street medicine and syringe cleanup",2898000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158967-ea2e5b9fb40e6fa445873ef4c33d1cde&start=2898&end=2898","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158967-ea2e5b9fb40e6fa445873ef4c33d1cde/thumbnail_2898000.jpg","/articles/6367217/Bangor-City/Penobscot-County/Maine/Delegation-council-seek-stronger-statewide-support-for-shelters-street-medicine-and-syringe-cleanup","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6367217-0c050733f8f5f00ca4ff1d9cff9f0072/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194600&Signature=LbwCeMkVU1l89JrV~kDpBcCCV4eDWiwAAo-TTWSC375iPx3mZbz2tNyaSeAcHU0cc36G2dnbp987xBtG-S5c4QaYzs9Z6GveMVLOEHpEr38YrOHeRUgCeLmNvrtEIWTxp3hwsWYjmxbSohEXaC9O521lvxqm57jzRtnDea1Qup~1WTAjF1EHzlVBeFcoJ3VJeVJMCulA1Zagnt73iKa0PNqyWKlG3R1q9xEfrHTXzn1LULRMbB8rSi3ellHg2BGDuVPHJ0NjJvrsub6RmCFxkplleFcXagZnhvrCjVXVYCpJgQwniCuo878nuHj36aX85kpmr41hcEuDfP1RoXeeiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City officials, public health staff and members of the state legislative delegation used Monday’s joint meeting to press for a more coordinated statewide approach to homelessness, street medicine and syringe cleanup.

Councilors and legislators described an ongoing HIV cluster, gaps in local public-health capacity and a patchwork of mobile syringe service licenses they said the municipality sometimes learns about only after licenses are issued. Council Chair Pelletier and Councilor Beck said they want clearer communication and shared processes so communities are not surprised when mobile syringe services locate on municipally owned property.

Representative Ambrin Rana said she will file a bill this week to create a syringe cleanup grant program. She described that bill as intended to help large municipalities finance cleanup, track distributed supplies and reduce public-health risks. Representative Rana noted the bill’s objective is both cleanup and improved tracking of distributed supplies.

Several legislators and councilors argued for stronger state funding of emergency shelter capacity. Delegation members said the state currently funds emergency shelters at a level they described as about $7.3 million per year and that the funding has not increased in recent years; they urged higher funding levels to support a statewide shelter network.

Speakers also urged expansion of street-medicine and paramedicine programs to reduce emergency-room and EMS burdens. Delegation members said mobile outreach programs, including a mobile unit from Maine Family Planning and pilot projects by Northern Light, have been useful but not uniformly available. Lawmakers and councilors pressed for state-level programs that would place or fund outreach teams in municipalities rather than relying solely on local nonprofits.

Councilor Beck warned against legislation that would allow individual municipalities to block mobile syringe service providers without statewide public health criteria, saying municipal denials could reflect stigma rather than public-health best practices.

Ending: Delegation members asked city staff and public-health partners to compile examples of successful street-medicine models and to coordinate follow-up meetings with the Maine CDC to refine best practices and licensing procedures.","Bangor council and state legislators discussed homelessness response, mobile syringe service licensing and funding for street medicine, urging statewide coordination and new grant support for needle cleanup.",{"_33":85,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":86,"_41":87,"_43":88,"_45":89,"_46":90,"_48":91,"_50":92,"_52":93,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":94,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":95,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6367225,"Bangor leaders press state delegation on revenue sharing, property tax relief and rural health funding",1334,100000,1434000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158967-ea2e5b9fb40e6fa445873ef4c33d1cde&start=100&end=1434","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158967-ea2e5b9fb40e6fa445873ef4c33d1cde/thumbnail_100000.jpg","/articles/6367225/Bangor-City/Penobscot-County/Maine/Bangor-leaders-press-state-delegation-on-revenue-sharing-property-tax-relief-and-rural-health-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6367225-8df867463dda8f37a3a4c8718b683826/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194600&Signature=Zq90iLWuxfxgmkwarH~Kr7GrvlTsilTd1eYQcWwUTWG2zK8VUGWBfawOQcKonczVK-K7MW-tZNby9KqzkE1JBNVzoOQqq7PLma6qrLJXtMKCUmn5bc2DBxoDyE6bI8lVkqmSuh4ZPoNHrPXVB63836gPDK~UD0Du6rsZzm-lBHnlpNyDzP8IwVi5Kgv8V4Ltkln9Tpk16TCdlNzgzR~mWhuXtWuGc8Sgg0wHIWlKPKYd45i2dfwLkViUhYsBgi0CETqEa91U-AUy8GyBOhQNOYDM1U87xJKlIvJrRQXUuq0S4~FRkttH5fxPEmwATkQFnvZCSPi7wcNFVjaV~hxPUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City officials and members of Bangor’s legislative delegation met Monday to lay out shared priorities for the 2025 legislative session, centering on revenue sharing, property tax relief and state reimbursements for programs the city must run.

City Manager Deb Lawrie told the council and delegation the city faces rising costs with limited local revenue options and urged state support for measures that would offset property tax pressure. Lawrie said the city “pays just over $4,000,000 a year” toward the county jail and argued that increases in state funding for county services would reduce the city’s property tax burden.

The discussion covered several related state-level levers. Delegation members identified revenue sharing and aid to education as central items; Representative Ambrin Rana confirmed revenue sharing and reimbursement rate increases were high priorities for some members of the delegation. Delegation members also said they expect flat or declining state revenues and warned municipalities will face difficult trade-offs without new state support.

City officials pressed for higher reimbursements when the state expands exemptions such as homestead or senior property-tax relief. Deb Lawrie explained that exemptions without higher reimbursement shift the tax burden and do not meaningfully lower homeowners’ bills unless the state increases the reimbursement rate to municipalities.

Members of the delegation and council also discussed targeted items that could indirectly lower property taxes, including increased county jail funding, higher reimbursement for state-mandated general assistance (GA) programs, and potential expansions to existing tax-relief programs rather than creating duplicate new ones. The group raised the municipal impacts of school-construction funding, special-education shortfalls, and other state aid formulas.

Delegation members identified additional priorities that could affect Bangor budgets: stabilizing funding for Northern Light hospital and other rural health facilities, continuing increased aid included in the supplemental budget for veterans homes and nursing facilities, and pursuing airport bond language (LR887) to support the Bangor airport. Representative Rana and other legislators said they would circulate detailed bill lists as drafting finishes this week.

Council members also urged the delegation to consider structural fixes to state-local programs. Councilor Beck proposed using reserves or targeted local dollars to create short-term relief programs while the city and state pursue long-term solutions. Several councilors and legislators said they supported exploring county-level administration of GA and other state programs to reduce the patchwork of municipal responses that currently shifts costs to larger cities.

The meeting concluded with legislators offering to coordinate staff-level follow-up and data requests to help the delegation sponsor or support bills addressing the issues discussed.

Ending: Legislators said they will file bills and funding requests in the coming days and asked city staff to provide data and examples the delegation can use in committee testimony and appropriation requests.","City officials and state legislators met to outline shared budget concerns for 2025, emphasizing revenue sharing, property tax relief, reimbursements for state-mandated programs and funding for rural health and veterans homes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Bangor council, legislators discuss reuse of state property and mall redevelopment as housing priorities

Delegation, council seek stronger statewide support for shelters, street medicine and syringe cleanup

Bangor leaders press state delegation on revenue sharing, property tax relief and rural health funding