Federal bill could ease housing crisis in rural Maine [Video]

Tyler Brown can’t say for certain how many new homes are needed in Presque Isle, or what the right balance of affordable, workforce or market-rate units is. He just knows they need a lot more.

“No matter what we build, it’s necessary,” said Brown, the city manager. “We desperately need it.”

But new development opportunities are few and far between for the Aroostook County city nearly 300 miles north of Portland and an hour’s drive from the end of Interstate 95.

There aren’t enough skilled laborers to support a flurry of new building activity. The tradespeople that are there are too busy, or can’t make residential construction financially feasible.

It’s a challenge shared across many of Maine’s rural municipalities that, like Presque Isle, are trying to court new businesses and revitalize their downtowns. It’s also one both state and federal officials are trying to remedy.

U.S. Sen. Angus King last …