Public Present
Anne Funderburk, Kathleen Miller, and Judith Burger-Gossart for MDI Historical Society; Noel Musson, CES, Inc.
Board Members Present
Sandy Andrews, Ellen Brawley, Chair; James Clunan, Vice Chairman; and Robert Ho
For the Town
Kim Keene, CEO; Claire Woolfolk, Recording Secretary
I. The meeting was called to order at 6:09 p.m.
II. Public Hearings
Conditional Use Approval Application(s):
A. Continuation of Conditional Use Approval Application # 013-2010
OWNER(S): Mount Desert Island Historical Society
AGENT(S): Charlotte Singleton or Designee Charlotte Singleton
LOCATION: 373 Sound Drive, Mount Desert
TAX MAP: 8 LOT: 50 ZONE(S): Res 1
PURPOSE: Section 5.5 – Amendment to a Conditional Use Approval (CUP#99-04)
No conflict of interest was reported. Ellen Brawley, Jim Clunan, Bob Ho, and Sandy Andrews are the voting members for this hearing.
The board found that significant changes of conditions or circumstances have occurred since the approval of the original CUP. The Historical Society has notably increased their activities to include exhibits and other special events resulting in more overflow parking than the two per year originally allowed. Other than the number of events requiring overflow parking, the use of the Historical Society property has not changed. Given that the sole issue for discussion is the overflow/street parking, Ms. Brawley suggested that only section 6A.3 (Highway Safety) of the LUZO needed to be reviewed.
After discussions about the types and number of events the Historical Society holds, the board agreed to rescind the existing condition allowing only two events per year. Should an event be expected to result in overflow street parking situations, the Historical Society will notify the police and hire an officer to control the parking for that event. The police will post “no parking” signs where appropriate and remain on site during the event. (As per the July 28, 2010 letter from Chief James Willis to the MDI Historical Society.)
The CEO and the board discussed that any event which is a change of use that could be construed as a nuisance (i.e. concert) would require the Historical Society to come before the board to get permission for that change of use.
Mr. Clunan stated that the existing outdoor lighting was in place prior to the current outdoor lighting standards therefore the present lighting is grandfathered in. The new ordinance is not applicable.
The 5.5 Amendment Application was reviewed as follows: See attached CUA#013-2010 Amendment.
A VOTE WAS CALLED AND THE MOTION TO APPROVE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY (4-0).
III. New Business:
A. Preliminary Presentation of the Proposed Marina Redevelopment Project.
Noel Musson, Planner/Project Manager CES
The purpose of the presentation was to familiarize the board with the proposed major overhaul of the town marina area to and give them a chance to ask any questions or address any concerns they might have prior to the CUA coming before them in the fall.
The redevelopment project will address:
1. Improvement of the facilities at the marina: 1. Harbor Master’s building, 2. Chamber of Commerce/Mariners Facility and, 3. Visitors Center/public restrooms.
2. Extended parking and improved traffic flow to provide more safety for pedestrians, improved service for buses, and to provide shelter for passengers waiting in inclement weather. The road will be wide enough for fire trucks to access the marina in the event of a fire emergency. The road will be two-way except for the Bus Loop.
3. The lighting style to take into consideration the dark-sky ordinance and will address complaints about the harbor area being too bright. The lighting style will be downward directed and sensitive to the needs of the users of the marina and pedestrians.
4. Stormwater run-off is not currently a problem and the infrastructure now in place will continue to be used and improved upon.
5. Shoreland zoning standards will be respected by moving the Harbor Master building back behind the 75’ line from its current location.
6. Encourage visitors to enjoy the marina and the green space as well as enticing them to move up the hill to the town.
Mr. Andrews brought up that Wi-Fi is not currently a part of the plan and that it should be considered, especially since Northeast Harbor is trying to stay abreast of the services offered by the other major marinas along the northeastern coastline.
Mr. Andrews also questioned why the application was coming before the board since the marina is a grandfathered use and the area is zoned specifically as it is currently used. Ms. Keene said that there are major changes to the area and that she wanted it to go through the Planning Board so that there are no questions down the line; it has gone before the other town entities and departments for approval (i.e. Board of Selectmen). Mr. Andrews reiterated that Ms. Keene had authority to issue the required building permits, that the project is not an expansion of the current usage. Mr. Musson said it wouldn’t hurt to have the application go before the board for a quick review, particularly since they are changing the lighting standards and improving the shoreland standards. Part of the project could be considered as
an expanded use with the inclusion of the visitor center as an additional public building.
B. Presentation of Proposal for Planning Services
Noel Musson, Planner/Project Manager CES, to discuss overall planning needs for the Town of Mount Desert as recommended within the Objectives and Strategies within the Comprehensive Plan.
Mr. Musson gave an overview of the services CES has available for the Town of Mount Desert and what a professional planner can do for the town. Subdivision ordinance and other existing ordinances could use improvements and/or changes. A professional planner could help in the re-writing and updating of the ordinances, resulting in a more consistent application of the ordinances.
A planner could help the town reach the goals set forth in the Comprehensive Plan in a consistent way and to make sure that we meet requirements by the federal government in order to obtain grant assistance. Ordinance issues currently needing attention include: Scenic vistas, parking ordinances, slopes, and subdivision ordinances. The town would also like to address stormwater management, economic development, and grant writing to help fund these issues. In order for a part-time planner to be effective, the town would need to prioritize a list of needs and desires.
Funding to pay for a part-time planner is an issue and the board needs to determine what the budget is and to prioritize what they want to accomplish within the available budget. Mr. Musson and the board discussed that pro-active planning is better than reactive planning. It was agreed that the town needs to find a donor or grant to underwrite the cost, or warrant committee to find funding for a part-time city planner.
The Board agreed to continue the discussion at the next meeting so that potential sources of funding (CEO budget and funds from an outside donor remaining from the Acadia Mountain Scenic Vista issue, or other possible sources from summer residents) could be explored. Mr. Musson suggested that the town could use the money to research available grant funds to tackle certain priorities: downtown revitalization, subdivision ordinance writing, etc.
The first step, however, is to be able to present a clear idea of the Planning Board’s goals and priorities in order to obtain approval from the Town Manager. Then go before the Selectmen to get them on board for hiring a part-time planner. One way to begin the process is to get the stake-holder groups together and prioritize wants and needs of the town (i.e. revitalization of Northeast Harbor Main St.). Mr. Musson suggested that the Planning Board choose a couple of priorities that could show success in a short period of time and then move on to bigger issues. If funding is available for a scenic vista ordinance, then that is something that could be addressed right away.
Continuation of the discussion of the proposal for planning services with Noel Musson will be placed on the agenda for August 23rd. Mr. Musson will research the different funding opportunities for federal & state money/grants and how they will match the priorities of the town (i.e. street-scaping) and present them at the next meeting.
IV. Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. The next scheduled meeting/public hearing(s) is at 6:00 p.m., Monday, August 23, 2010 in the Meeting Room, Town Hall, Northeast Harbor.
MOTION TO ADJURN MADE BY Mr. Andrews; SECONDED BY Mr. Clunan. (4-0)
Respectfully submitted,
ORIGINAL SIGNATURE ON FILE IN TOWN OFFICE.
James Clunan, Acting Secretary
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