Condo Media - November 2013 - 16

by Jack Carr, P.E., RS, LEED-AP

C A I

R e g i o n a l

N e w s

MAINE

Housaminium?
A Growing Phenomenon

ousaminium" is a term not
used in everyday conversation in Maine, but that may
change. The origin of this
word is not known but probably arose
out of the condo-dense real estate
regions such as Florida and Arizona.
It refers to free-standing homes in a
Home Owners Association (HOA)
complex in which the condo unit
owner owns both the interior and
exterior of the building while enjoying
the benefits of the HOA's amenities.
This seems common enough, but
what is changing is that the term
"housaminium" is becoming more
related to meeting the needs of empty
nesters, affordable housing, young
families, the elderly, and the disabled
population. Their needs in the past
were often planned to be handled by
multi-family type of housing.
Nowhere is this more evident than
in Maine with its nation-leading elderly
population and a youth drain in full
flood. The baby boomer wave is already
putting a serious strain on the state's
heath care system and the forecasted
effects of a growing retirees segment.
Meanwhile, the state's higher education system is making radical changes to
their college curriculums to hold on to
a decreasing student body that is fleeing

the state permanently in search of job
opportunities and affordable housing.

"Patio Homes"

To address this problem, the word
"housaminium" is continuing to pop
up at planning board, city council, and
community meetings. The most recent
Auburn Comprehensive Plan specifically refers to "housaminiums" as one of
the potential solutions for the city's future urban housing needs. These types
of condo units are not the type found
in more traditional suburban HOA
complexes with large homes and twocar garages; rather they are designed
with modest footprints on one level.
This type of design is sometimes called
"patio homes" or simply "ranch."
This one-level design is attractive to
the elderly and empty nesters who wish
to downsize and still have the feeling of
home ownership, the mortgage interest
tax benefits, and a safe location for visiting grandkids and family. These designs
can incorporate wheelchair-friendly
elements such as lower kitchen cabinets,
lower door peepholes, and floor coverings and room layouts for easy traverse.
Developers are recognizing the burgeoning population of active seniors is
not just a niche but the next growth
market for condo sales.

Tourism and Rentals

Meanwhile, the "housaminum" concept
continues to evolve in one of Maine's
most lucrative industries: tourism.
Many tourist destination communities
have been creating strange ordinances
to control seasonal HOAs. The town
of Wells on the southern seacoast and
Route 1 corridor is a classic example.
The recent past has witnessed many
of the original cottage grounds being
converted into HOAs with the cottages
owned by investors and the grounds
owned and managed by an HOA.
In parallel with this phenomenon,
many new cottage HOAs have been
developed following the "housaminium" model with rental income
a primary goal. This has forced the
town to enact creative ordinances to
not only prohibit year-round living
to avoid a strain on the school system
but also prohibit continuous living for
more than 29 days to force turnover
and increase tourist spending. The
word "housaminiums," in its many
forms, is here to stay. CM
Jack Carr, P.E., RS, LEED-AP, is
senior vice president with CriteriumEngineers in Portland, Maine. He is
a member of the Condo Media board
and a frequent author and speaker.

Senior Living in Saco

current example of a city-driven "housaminium" trend is the senior housing project planned for the city of Saco property near
Diamond Riverside Park. This 55-and-older community will contain stand-alone cottage style modular homes privately owned on
common land. The city is working with Southern Maine Affordable Housing in an effort to hold on to those seniors who wish to downsize and still have money left in their retirement fund. A soft second mortgage concept is planned in selling the homes. The homes
would be sold for approximately 10 percent under the current market price. This 10 percent would be placed in a city housing fund
when the property is sold in the future.

Condo Media * November 2013

Condo Media - November 2013

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