A new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts finds that builders could be developing homes twice as quickly and save thousands of dollars with preapproved plans.
The concept, however, has not quite taken off in Maine.
Preapproved plans are housing blueprints that are already drawn and generally found to be compliant with local zoning and building codes. The Pew Charitable Trust said projects using these plans can be developed twice as quickly, because they’ve already received discretionary permits.
The report also finds that preapproved plans can reduce overall development costs by $5,000-$10,000 for a single-family home and more for multi-unit buildings.
The report mentions Maine, because the Legislature passed a law last year that allows the state to provide municipalities with preapproved building plans. But the work of developing those plans has not been funded.
Samantha Horn, director of Maine’s Office of Community Affairs, said her agency is exploring other options for preapproved housing plans, including approaches that other states are taking.
Pew notes that preapproved building plans are not a substitute for broader housing reforms, but one tool to help states and communities add to their housing stock.
