Saco will host housing action plan public listening sessions starting April 22. The sessions will focus on different areas of the city and are expected to provide residents with opportunities to share thoughts, experiences and ideas surrounding housing in Saco.

According to officials, the goal of the sessions is to create a “community-driven roadmap” to support a range of housing options in Saco for people of all ages and income ranges.

Funded by a $35,000 grant from the Housing Opportunity Office of the Department of Economic and Community Development, the housing action plan is based on the Saco Comprehensive Plan and its goals on housing.

At a March 17 City Council workshop, Planning Director Emily Cole-Prescott presented the initial process for the housing action plan.

“The comprehensive plan is going to help inform this initiative,” Cole-Prescott said.

Some of the housing goals from the Saco Comprehensive Plan include housing to meet resident needs and budget, greater density housing in areas with sewer and water, development near walkable locations, and improving existing housing stock.

The housing action plan project is expected to take just under a year to complete, and will be supported by civil engineering company VHB.

“We want to make sure we’ve built in enough time for a robust public process,” VHB Urban Planner Christine Grimando said.

The process will also be built around existing housing questions from the Saco community, including if second-floor spaces on Main Street could be converted into housing, and how the city will plan for long-term growth.

“The amount of thought that has already gone into these topics is such a treat,” Grimando said.

One of the biggest concerns from Saco residents is market rate affordability and workforce housing availability.

Affordability is an “incredibly important” aspect of the study, Grimando said, and VHB will look at the question from many different angles.

“Anyone can be cost burdened,” Grimando said. “Lower income groups tend to be more cost burdened, but you see levels of cost burden across various income groups.”

The high cost of housing is an issue across the state, including in neighboring Biddeford, which has been working on its own affordable housing plan this year.

Over the past few years, the state has been taking action in regard to housing policy and requirements for communities, including implementing the LD 2003 bill that requires municipalities to increase housing density allowed in zoning ordinances.

“It’s a testament to the acuteness of housing issues that we’re seeing in the state,” Grimando said.

Saco city councilors were supportive of the housing action plan at the March 17 meeting.

“This work is critical for what we’re trying to do,” councilor Michael Burman said.

According to officials, the plan is ongoing, and community listening sessions will be a vital piece of the process.

The first listening session will take place at Saco Public Works on April 22 at 6 p.m. The session will focus on the Portland Road and Route 1 area of the city.