Maine town once known for crime and smell of rotting fish is now property hotspot where modest home prices are surging

A coastal town in Maine once known for crime and the smell of rotting fish has rewarded longtime residents who bought early, with real estate values doubling in the last two decades.

In the 1970s, Rockland had one of the highest crime rates in Maine, a state that routinely ranks as one of the safest in the US. 

And in the 1980s, the town had a herring rendering plant downtown that emitted an unbearable odor.

Eventually industries like this were replaced by art galleries and restaurants, making Rockland look more like the typical Maine vacation destination.

Joan Merriam, a former schoolteacher, bought land on Rockland’s south end 15 years ago, hoping to spend her retirement where she grew up, she told Bangor Daily News.

Her property and the modular home she added were initially worth about $200,000 put together.

This summer, Merriam’s property doubled in value after Rockland completed its first revaluation in 20 years.

While this may sound good, it could lead to property tax increases for residents who have suddenly found themselves the owners of more expensive homes.

Merriam said at least two homes in her neighborhood have been listed for sale because the older owners are afraid of hikes.

Merriam, who lives on a fixed income, said she can keep with her taxes now but that it is tight.

She knows others in the town who have had their properties skyrocket in value, and also mentioned that her family members in nearby Camden were reeling when that town did a revaluation last year.

Critics of the current revaluations going on in towns across Maine say that they should be done more regularly to prevent the shock to residents.

Former assessor’s agent Jim Murphy told the Belfast City Council that its revaluation last year is devastating many residents. It was the first one its done in the last 21 years.

‘How it affects people in town is tragic, in some cases,’ Murphy said. ‘By not doing revaluations on a regular basis, we are taxing people out of their homes.’

A half an hour east in Bucksport, where the state’s assessment of property values has risen by more than $270 million in the last five years, residents took to social media last month to report that their tax bills had tripled in the last three years.

Jason Bishop, who lives in Bucksport, told Bangor Daily News that his taxes have doubled in two years.

‘The fact is this is a failure and hard choices will have to be made by the town to cut and by residents to decide if they want to stay or sell for whatever they can get,’ Bishop said.

Bishop is pushing to recall the entire town council, or at least the members who aren’t up for re-election this fall.

One of the biggest drivers of local tax increases in Bucksport and other Maine towns has been the loss of industry, which used to make up a lot of the tax base.

The Verso Paper Mill in Bucksport, which closed in 2014, used to make up 40 percent of the tax base, which has led officials to try to attract new industry.

Before the mill’s closure, the town saved $8 million to forestall tax increases, but more than 10 years later, that money is running dry.

‘While these adjustments are difficult, they are necessary to ensure the Town can continue to provide essential services and maintain long term financial health,’ a statement on Bucksport’s town website said. 

In Rockland, Merriam does see the upside of the revaluation, as it has brought newcomers who are artistic and well-educated. They have built new galleries and are contributing to a growing creative scene.

But still, teachers, police officers and other local workers are having trouble finding housing that is affordable, Merriam said.  

‘I feel like the people that have lived here for generations feel like they don’t have as much say,’ she said.