October 22, 2026

City Investigates Potential for Downtown Housing

Heart of Ellsworth, in Ellsworth, ME, has launched an initiative to increase downtown housing by activating underutilized spaces.

The project is a partnership between Heart of Ellsworth, the City of Ellsworth, and the Ellsworth Public Library. The Mid-Coast Board of Realtors is also contributing expertise and a $5,000 grant to hire a consultant to assess downtown properties and identify specific opportunities for upper-floor housing. Overall, the project will analyze and document roughly 272 buildings.

The project looks to support local businesses as well as increase housing. "By working closely with property owners and partners, we’re gaining a clearer understanding of where opportunities exist to create more housing and support small business growth in our community," says Cara Romano, executive director of Heart of Ellsworth.

Downtown housing is covered regularly in Downtown Idea Exchange.

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Completing our Streets

The complete streets movement is based on a simple idea: streets should be safe for people of all ages and abilities, whether they are walking, driving, bicycling, or taking the bus. Completing Our Streets provides the strategies, tools, and inspiration needed to translate this idea into real and lasting change in cities and towns of all sizes.

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Completing Our Streets is just one of the many books on improving parking & access available from the Downtown Development Center.