Short-term Rental Policy

The City of Bangor is considering regulation of short-term rentals in the City. As part of this process, the City is seeking public comment regarding any questions, concerns, or opinions from the community.

The City held two virtual listening sessions in late February which several community members attended.

Listening session with City staff held Wednesday, February 24, 2021:

Listening session with City staff held Thursday, February 25, 2021:

Background about this project was submitted to the Board of Economic Development and Planning Board on February 16, 2021. Follow this link to view recordings of those meetings. 

For anyone who wishes to submit comments or questions but cannot attend the session, please email housing@bangormaine.gov and those comments will be collected and submitted to the City Council as part of the documentation of the listening sessions. The City is also conducting a survey to garner feedback from residents, property owners, and other stakeholders. The survey can be found here. 

Short-term rentals are typically defined as residential units (a room, apartment, or entire dwelling) that are rented for less than 30 days. Sometimes these are used by tourists for a few days or a week, sometimes by traveling business professionals, among other uses. This discussion follows a recommendation from the Affordable Housing Workgroup in 2019 that the City look into this issue. That full report can be found here.

Housing Work Group: 2018-2019

The Housing Work Group has concluded its scheduled sessions. The group presented its final report and recommendations to the Bangor City Council during a pre-council work session on Monday, April 8, 2019.

Download the Bangor Housing Final Report HERE

The City of Bangor has convened a work group to focus on the issue of quality, affordable housing in the City and the region. The work group includes representatives from the public and private sectors, including individuals, landlords, renters, housing developers, and nonprofit agencies. The public is invited and encouraged to attend all sessions.

INTERIM REPORT - Recommendations to Improve the Status of Housing in Bangor (January 2019)

Sessions:

• Watch the September 12 meeting here: https://bangormaine.viebit.com/player.php?hash=gIAbZfshlRc2
  

• Watch the September 19 meeting here: https://bangormaine.viebit.com/player.php?hash=FCWELuuWRVAY
  

• Watch the September 26 meeting here: https://bangormaine.viebit.com/player.php?hash=BUxwogMkBIxk

• Watch the October 17, 2018 meeting here: https://bangormaine.viebit.com/player.php?hash=vQ4zYAFmLohK

• Watch the October 24, 2018 meeting here: https://bangormaine.viebit.com/player.php?hash=5itE2TVdfXil

• Watch the November 7, 2018 meeting here: https://bangormaine.viebit.com/player.php?hash=qe4RtwYUxVBD

• Watch the December 5, 2018 meeting here: https://bangormaine.viebit.com/player.php?hash=n4px7NIyM16j

Community members are encouraged to attend all meetings, and to send comments, suggestions, or questions to housing@bangormaine.gov. All meetings will be televised on Bangor's government access channel and livestreamed through the City's Facebook page, and video will be available after the fact at https://bangormaine.viebit.com.

Housing Info & Data

Housing Work Group Final Report - 2019

2017 Housing Affordability Index - Bangor

2017 Housing Affordability Index - Maine

2017 Housing Affordability Index - Penobscot County

Bangor Daily News: "The Bangor neighborhoods where people can't afford their rent," 9/10/2018 - includes income/housing data

Bangor Housing Data

Barriers to Development in Housing

Challenges to Developing Affordable Housing

Bangor Police Department - 2017 Neighborhood Stats

The Affordable Housing Crisis video:

The Eviction Epidemic video: