Despite pervasive ‘supply skepticism,’ the evidence suggests the answer is yes: As the number of homes grows in an area, prices tend to fall and lower-cost units get freed up. But advocates say it takes time – and there are many hurdles.
Hannah LaClaire
Staff Writer
Hannah LaClaire is a business reporter at the Portland Press Herald, covering Maine’s housing crisis, real estate and development, entrepreneurship, the state's cannabis industry and a little bit of everything else. Before joining the Press Herald in 2021, Hannah covered the town of Brunswick for The Times Record. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running and weekends up at camp. She lives in Springvale with her husband and daughter, their dog and two tuxedo cats.
Maine investigating moldy cannabis that led to state’s first recall
Cannabis Cured, the cultivator and retailer that sold the contaminated products, maintains that its samples passed an initial round of state-mandated testing.
State foliage expert predicts vibrant display ‘for the record books’
Maine’s leaf-peeping season kicked off this week with the first foliage report of the fall from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
Price of typical Maine home hovering around $400,000, but more are hitting the market
The median home sale price in Maine last month was $399,250 – a 5% increase over July 2023, but a slight dip from the record high of $406,000 reported this June.
Bigelow lab receives $7 million for algae research, business development
The Boothbay lab will use the National Science Foundation grant to build the Maine Algal Research Infrastructure and Accelerator in a bid to unlock more ways macroalgae and its microscopic counterpart can be used and ultimately marketed.
MDI Bio Lab gets $19 million to boost Maine’s biomedical research, workforce
The federal grant will fund the renewal of the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence program, a collaboration between 17 educational and research institutions, for another 5 years.
Regulators move to delay increase in minimum lobster size
Lobster harvesters and dealers say that the fraction-of-an-inch change could eliminate the most lucrative segment of their catch and give Canadian competitors an unfair advantage.
University of New England to offer online cannabis education classes
Five certificate programs will train students about business, medical, legal, product and agricultural aspects of the industry.
Hotel development in Portland booming as city seeks to amp up winter tourism
Portland has at least 750 hotel rooms in various stages of the planning process, and there are more than 400 in the works in the surrounding area.
Plan to bring remote-controlled trains to South Portland rail yard draws safety, labor concerns
Union officials are urging city councilors to consider banning the driverless trains from moving hazardous materials and operating on tracks that connect with Amtrak passenger service.