Trailside condos are the latest high-density housing idea in Ellsworth

A recent run of high-density housing projects proposed or under construction in Ellsworth is continuing, as a 36-unit condominium development is planned for Beals Avenue.

The new development, which would be built off the southern end of the street next to the Down East Sunrise Trail, is one of three higher-density housing proposals the planning board will review on Wednesday, May 1. Beals Avenue is a residential street of single-family homes that runs parallel to the northern end of High Street.

Ellsworth, which is the largest municipality in Hancock County and serves as the county seat, has seen an uptick in the past few years of in-town and cluster-style housing developments.

Affordable housing is scarce in the region, as it is in much of the state and the country. But the shortage also comes as Ellsworth’s population has been growing along with the county’s tourism sector and employers such as The Jackson Laboratory .

Since the pandemic started, demand for housing in the area also has increased as remote workers from metropolitan areas outside Maine have sought more rural and scenic places to live, and as many homes have been converted to lucrative short-term vacation rentals .

That demand already has led in the past five years to the construction of several new apartment buildings or townhouses in central Ellsworth off Beechland Road, on Acorn Way off Surry Road, and on Oriole Way, among other places.

Projects that have been approved and are currently under construction include a three-story, 72-unit apartment building on a 2.5-acre lot on High Street between Myrick Street and Beechland Road, directly across from the Freshie’s Hilltop convenience store. Another development under construction is a 12-unit apartment building one block south from Main Street between Pine and Spruce streets.

A project that has been reviewed by the planning board but not yet approved is a cluster development on a 121-acre lot off Eastward Lane behind D’Amanda’s candlepin bowling alley . That project would consist of more than 100 townhouse-style units, with two to six of each per building.

Matthew Williams, Ellsworth’s city planner, said the run of recent developments also includes smaller individual projects, which often only need code enforcement approval rather than vetting by the planning board. There also have been more traditional subdivision developments, in which parcels are sliced into individual house lots and developed separately from each other.

While William is not spending an inordinate amount of time dealing with multi-housing projects — he also is heavily involved in the ongoing update of the comprehensive plan — he noted that demand for such places remains high given the scarcity elsewhere.

“There’s definitely been a shift” toward higher-density housing in Ellsworth, Williams said. “There are a lot of new builds.”

The city’s planning board also is expected to consider on Wednesday a proposal to create a 14-lot residential subdivision on Village Way, which is located about six miles west of downtown Ellsworth on Bucksport Road. The project would be the second phase of the Village Way development, which already has five duplexes and two single-family homes that were approved a year ago.

The planning board also will review a proposal to build a 4-apartment addition onto a downtown property at 59 Franklin St.