Revitalization Open Meeting Thursday, October 7, 2010 4:30-6pm
By estimation, there were 125+ people at the meeting, with representation from all the towns in TMD -- OCr (4), PM (2), Sville (3), HQ(4), SH (6), and the rest from NEH.
In response to the question "What do you like best about TMD," responses were:
-- natural beauty; -- personal history; -- knowing people's names; --social events / pot lucks; -- excellent schools; -- water access; -- friendly; grew up here; --near the park; -- small; -- can ride bikes and walk everywhere; --no traffic; -- nice people; --safe; --respect for privacy; -- people help each other; --excellent hospital nearby; -- sense of place; -- child friendly; -- dog friendly; compact village centers; -- finite / self contained boundaries; -- wonderful history of the stores; the Neighborhood House; -- the Library
In response to the question "What is your preferred future," responses were:
-- more meeting places; -- keep it local / stop the flight; -- more restaurants; -- a drug store; -- satellite shops; --dry cleaners; -- more families; zoning revisited to open things up for more businesses; -- soda fountain / ice cream store; -- re-open Seal Harbor, Otter Creek stores; --closer connections between the villages; --welcoming signs at the towns; -- year ound economy; --bus service for locals, not just for tourists; -- more author / artists events; -- more jobs; --more affordable housing; -- better communication between the park and the towns regarding specific issues; -- a book store; -- movies; -- a more vital year round community.
Recommended strategies to enable the preferred future:
-- tax breaks for businesses; -- tax properties based on their current use rather than 'best and highest' use; -- look at best tax practices in other communities; -- put incentives for landlords to have workforce housing; -- better communication between summer and year round residents; -- better communication the towns on MDI; -- have an Island centric view (e.g. bus service); -- improve sidewalks in NEH (more people friendly with benches, plants, better landscaping, stone and brick improvements); -- encourage light industries (such as SW development, etc.) to come to MDI through better interface with the State Government in Augusta (note: the topic enhancing local business development strategies is a big issue within the current Maine Governor's race); -- incentives to "buy local;" -- re-build the fishing industry / find out what
the fisherman want (... and apply same approach to all other businesses currently here); -- coordinate efforts with the existing comprehensive plan for the TMD and engage the people currently on the Town Planning Board; -- consider "tax based sharing" with other towns such as Ellsworth and Bar Harbor as part of our planning; -- consider strategies for 'going green:' -- understand the demographics and related facts about the Town at present before recommending new strategies; -- identify what is it that we want to attract from from the tourists on the Island (anything from the cruise ships, etc.?); -- beware of over-crowding from ANP so we are not overwhelmed; -- balance business and beauty; -- balance development with the things that people like with the way it is right now; -- add a Planning Director as the TMD government staff position; -- enhance the relationship between TMD and Hancock County; -- understand the economic realities of running a business here (i.e. what
is the real market potential?); -- look at best practices from other communities; -- reach consensus within our Committee on the real priorities before we make any recommendations; -- explore funding sources to help new businesses (Federal, State, Local, etc.); -- think of ways we can attract people to come here in the winter; -- analyze the issues and roadblocks over time that have prevented past businesses from being able to stay open; -- add a bandstand in the town park by the marina; -- increase the availability of green space near the marina.
ReStore update from Sam Shaw:
--group was founded over a year ago; focused on downtown Northeast Harbor only (the "capital" of TMD); -- now working through two committees: the Development Committee, which will focus on changes necessary to the Land Use Zoning Ordinance (LUZO) to help the Planning Board, the Great Harbor Marina improvements, better and more signage, widening the sidewalks, improvements to help car traffic exit Main Street, and ideas within the public / private partnership to help with the empty lots on Main Street; and the Promotion Committee, which will work to enhance the marina work, come up with ideas (e.g. exhibits) to get essential services to come back to NEH, tie in with other festivals on the island, and further promote the Thursday night events.
Harbor Committee update from Noel Musson:
-- this will be a land-based improvement effort; --construction could start this winter; -- will improve the harbor site and road network and enable better Island Explorer access; -- one plus year effort, but conscious of not disrupting the flow during the heavy summer usage period in 2011; -- there will be three new buildings constructed ( a visitor center with rest rooms, a new harbor master facility, and a yachting facility with showers, etc.); -- there will still be good water access for commercial fisherman; the plans are for wifi to be available throughout the marina; current scope does not address potential improvements/changes within the harbor itself to enable additional revenue generation (this is more complicated, but will have to be dealt with over time); -- the plan will improve traffic flow; -- trash receptacles will be enabled
for yachts (but what to do with the dumpsters is still TBD); -- the new facilities will be winterized and could be used year round; -- there are still zoning issues related to the green space near the marina that do need to be addressed.
Island Housing Trust (IHT) update from Ellen Kappes and Sydney Rockefeller:
-- 5+ houses have been built and occupied on Ripples Hill, representing new affordable housing for people who work on the Island; -- other work force housing ideas are emerging (but issues need to be overcome regarding ownership covenants, etc.); -- IHT is also working on "infilling" of vacant lots in NEH (the Joy Building represented a start, but would have been expensive to convert to apartments); -- zoning is still perceived as a barrier to housing in the NEH town; -- the IHT does not want to act as a landlord.
Other general comments:
-- consider an 'incubator' strategy to get new businesses started; -- don't re-invent the wheel regarding planning; -- enable broad e-mail correspondence re planning progress to encourage further input; -- keep all the various committees and constituents in synch / in the loop regarding developments of the Revitalization Committee; -- the end result of this Committee will be to make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen within 6 months (Feb. - March 2011 time frame); -- there should be an ongoing forum between the SRA, TMD Government, and the year round community to keep the lines of communication always open; invest in services to help the older community members and to keep them here; -- consider further use of the rural parts of MDI as locales for farmers and artisans, and to help attract more younger people; -- add space on the
Town's web site to communicate on progress made by this committee.
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