Brunswick offers up to $10,000 for accessory dwelling units

Brunswick homeowners who want to add a backyard apartment, in-law suite or other accessory dwelling unit can now seek a grant worth up to $10,000, but only if they move quickly. The new ADU Boost Pilot Program, posted May 7, limits awards to a first-come, first-served pool and is aimed at primary-residence property owners in Brunswick, Bath and Rockland.

The program is built around a simple pitch: more small homes, built on existing lots, without the land costs and infrastructure of a subdivision. It is being run by the Midcoast Council of Governments with Bangor Savings Bank, and the grant money comes from the State of Maine’s Housing Opportunity Grant Program. Brunswick’s flyer frames the effort as “Your Space. Your Future. Your Unit.”

For homeowners, the numbers matter. The grant covers 10% of qualified project costs, up to the full $10,000, which means a project would need at least $100,000 in eligible costs to reach the maximum award. That still leaves most of the bill on the owner. Brunswick says participants may pay through a home-equity loan, self-finance the project, or use a construction loan of at least $50,000 through Bangor Savings Bank.

The rules are narrow enough to keep the program focused on long-term housing. There are no income limits, and homeowners can qualify whether they have a mortgage or own the house outright, without refinancing. But they must agree not to use the new unit as a short-term rental during the loan term. The finished ADU also has to be smaller than the main house and function as a fully separate living space.

Timing also matters. Under the home-equity and self-finance options, the grant is paid after the unit receives a certificate of occupancy. Under the construction-loan option, the money is paid at closing, once a signed loan commitment letter reserves the funds. That structure keeps the program tied to actual construction rather than speculation.

The bigger question is scale. ADU Boost can help individual Brunswick homeowners turn spare space into rental income or housing for family, but the program’s limited funding means it is more incentive than solution. It may add a handful of units quickly in a tight market, yet it is unlikely on its own to produce the kind of housing growth Sagadahoc County needs without broader development.