Red Sky Capital Partners LLC representative James “Wylie” Johnston, (front right) presents the company’s plan to expand upon 41 existing lots at Indian Run Estates Mobile Home Park to the Dresden Planning Board Wednesday, Feb. 14. Johnston told the board the company requested approval for 20 additional lots in an application to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. (Piper Pavelich photo)
The owner of a Connecticut-based company attended the Dresden Planning Board’s Wednesday, Feb. 14 meeting to discuss plans to expand a mobile home park in Dresden.
James “Wylie” Johnston, managing member of Red Sky Capital Partners LLC, appeared before the board to request a new conditional use permit to expand on the property that houses Indian Run Estates Mobile Home Park, located at 1151 Middle Road.
The property’s previous owner, Doug Smith, had been issued a conditional use permit to expand on the property after he took ownership in 2009, according to planning board Chair Jeff Pierce.
“We thought just because it had been almost 12 years, 13 years, that it really should have another set of eyes put on it,” Pierce said.
Johnston said his company recently acquired the property from Smith, taking over operation of the mobile home park in early February. Based in New Canaan, Conn., Red Sky Capital Partners currently owns seven manufactured housing communities in Maine, according to Johnston.
“Part of the attraction of this community was the potential ability to add 20 new lots to bring new homes in,” Johnston said. “As everyone is probably aware of, Maine, and Dresden, is in need of affordable housing.”
The mobile home park currently has 41 housing lots. Johnston said he requested approval for an additional 20 lots on the property in an application to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
“Our goal … is to bring in all brand new manufactured homes,” Johnston said. “Some would be single-wide; some would be double-wide, based on the site plans, which we would then sell at-cost to potential, future residents.”
To give the board a preliminary idea of the cost of a home may be, Johnston said a brand-new 1,100 square foot, three-bedroom and two-bathroom single-wide home can be brought into the park for $50,000.
“We’re not coming in here trying to sell mobile homes to people for $150,000 … We’ve never been one to jack our rents, to put undue burdens on people,” said Johnston. “I think our largest rent increase that we’ve ever had in five years was like 4% or 5% … I don’t want the impression to be that we’re going to come in and try and make this an unaffordable and untenable situation for people.”
Agreeing by consensus of the board, Johnston’s site plan review application was complete, the board scheduled a site walk of the property for 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 24. The public hearing regarding the application and conditional use permit is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, at Pownalborough Hall.
The next meeting of the planning board is at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at Pownalborough Hall.
For more information about Red Sky Capital Partners LLC, email Johnston at wylie@redskycp.com.
