Town of Mount Desert Planning Board Workshop
Minutes of April 8, 2009
Public Present
Eben Savatore, Debbie Musetti, Sam Fox
Board Members Present
Jerry Miller, James Bright, James, Clunan, Joseph Tracy, Patti Reilly & Sandy Andrews
Heidi Smallidge, Recording Secretary
I. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 5:07 p.m. by Mr. Bright.
II. Discussion Regarding the upgrading of the Town of Mount Desert Land Use Zoning Ordinance to incorporate the new State of Maine Shoreland Zoning Ordinance Amendments
Discussion ensued regarding the Town’s Land Use Zoning Ordinance and the newly required Maine Shoreland Zoning Ordinance Amendments.
Mr. Bright’s first question was whether the Board felt this was a task the Mount Desert Planning Board could do themselves. Ms. Reilly suggested someone was needed to go through the documents side by side. Didn’t Tom Martin, HCPC already do this? Mr. Bright noted Mr. Martin’s current work for other towns has yet to be approved by DEP and/or the State.
Mr. Clunan wondered whether the Board could complete the work in time for June. He suggested the Board could address the ordinance a section at a time, but wasn’t sure which sections should be given priority.
Mr. Bright noted the different terminology used in each ordinance. He noted that stream protection would have to be added to the Mount Desert ordinance. Mr. Bright felt that a Section 6C for shoreland standards was what would be necessary for Mount Desert’s ordinance. Mr. Clunan felt that simply adding an additional section could result in a duplication of information.
Ms. Reilly suggested having someone review the ordinance to eliminate the duplications. She added that another possibility could be to leave the shoreland zoning the same, and only apply what is different to the 250’ shoreland setback area. Mr. Bright felt it would be easier to apply the changes to all of the property within the shoreland zone. Mr. Clunan wondered if the first step should be redrawing the maps.
Mr. Clunan also noted that the district terminology between the State ordinance and the Town ordinance would need to be reconciled. Mr. Bright noted that the Town only will need to show that their terminology is equivalent to the State’s.
Discussion ensued regarding stream setbacks versus shoreland setbacks. Mr. Bright noted there was no clear definition of a stream. Mr. Miller added that if stream setbacks were less stringent people would try to apply it instead of the shoreland setback. Mr. Clunan suggested we could be compelled to create a new district.
Mr. Miller stated the Planning Board first needs to make the decision as to how they want to proceed in getting these revisions done. Mr. Bright agreed that the decision needed to be made. Mr. Andrews noted he didn’t feel the work would get done unless one person is working on it. It was his preference to see fully tracked documents noting all changes. Mr. Andrews felt this was a large job, and too much for any volunteer board to commit to. Ms. Reilly suggested hiring a scribe for the job. Mr. Miller felt the job needed to be done by someone with a working knowledge of municipal ordinances.
Mr. Andrews noted there are two pieces to the work; the ordinance re-write and the mapping. Mr. Miller suggested the Planning Board work on the mapping while hiring Mr. Rothe to work on the ordinance. Mr. Bright noted that the State has maps that may assist the Town. Mr. Andrews suggested Isabel Mancinelli from College of the Atlantic as another resource for maps. It was also suggested that Mr. Rothe may have mapping resources as well.
Mr. Bright inquired as to whether a segregated Section 6C addressing the shoreland zoning was preferable or whether the shoreland zoning should be woven in throughout the ordinance. Mr. Miller preferred a mixture of both, as long as conflicts in wording are avoided. Mr. Andrews added that some of the ordinance wouldn’t be confined to a Section 6C. He mentioned timber harvesting as an example and suggesting simply prohibiting it.
The consensus of the Planning Board was to forward the ordinance to Mr. Rothe for his input. Mr. Bright would inform Kimberly Keene of their preference when she returned.
Mr. Bright suggested that with regard to mapping, the first step was to inquire with the State as to what they have for available maps. Ms. Reilly added that Kyle Avila may have some of this mapped area as well.
Mr. Clunan inquired who among the Board of Selectman the Planning Board liaison was. It was not clear who that liaison was.
VII. Adjournment
Mr. Tracy moved, with Mr. Miller seconding, to adjourn the meeting. Motion was approved 5-0. Meeting was adjourned at 6:23.
Respectfully Submitted,
Heidi Smallidge, Recording Secretary
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