Via the Mount Desert Islander (full story)

Friends of Acadia (FOA) is proposing to build housing for eight Acadia National Park seasonal employees on land owned by members of the Rockefeller family at the northern end of Jordan Pond Road.

The site is at the intersection with Stanley Brook Road and near both the Seal Harbor Cemetery and the Park Loop Road. The property is currently used by the owners and the Land & Garden Preserve for storing construction and maintenance materials.

“Because the site is served by town [of Mount Desert] sewer and water, has already largely been cleared and leveled, is reasonably removed from immediate neighbors, and provides easy access to the Park, it is a good fit for Acadia employee housing,” FOA President and CEO Eric Stiles wrote in a May 5 letter to residents of Jordan Pond Road and the surrounding area.

“While the primary use will be for seasonal staff, it can house people in the off season. For example, it could provide lodging for staff detailed to the park, visiting scholars and researchers or other key positions requiring close proximity to the park during the fall through spring season.

“Our concept for an initial phase of a development would be to construct a primary residence with five bedrooms and an accessory dwelling with three bedrooms, as allowed under current town zoning,” Stiles continued. “Each bedroom will include one bed. We envision buildings that blend into the surroundings, with low profile (one story), healthy setbacks from the road, and natural-colored exterior treatment.”

Read the full story from the Mount Desert Islander: FOA looks to build housing for Acadia

Additional Coverage

• Acadia gets funding to design seasonal housing – via Mount Desert Islander