3/1/05 draft revised 3/2/05 with Karkow input
Minutes
Town of Waldoboro
Land Use Committee Meeting
February 28, 2005
1. Minutes of November 29 and December 20, 2004
2. Discussion of January 2005 Draft Land Use Ordinance
3. Waldoboro Business Association February Meeting
4. Sequence of Events, March - June 2005
5. Discussion of Strategy – How to Present the Draft Ordinance
6. Next Regular Committee Meeting: Monday, March 28, 7:00 p.m.
Present: Charles Campbell, Steve Cartwright, Norman Golden, Edward Karkow, JoAnn Myers, George Seaver; Code Enforcement Officer John Black
Absent: Elaine Abel, Carlo Bianchi, William Blodgett, Dana Dow, Charles Flint, Ronnie Frazier, Terry Gifford, Ralph Johnston, James Mahan, John Morris, William Travers, Gordon Webster, William Yerxa
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. without a quorum.
1. Minutes of November 29 and December 20, 2004
Members present had no additions or corrections to the minutes of November 29 and December 20. Campbell said the last sentence in the first paragraph of Item 4 on p. 3 attributed to him is not what he said, but he did not request a change in the minutes. His hypothetical question was about a person with 10 acres of land who wants to put five mobile homes or five stick-built homes on the land.
2. Discussion of January 2005 Draft Land Use Ordinance
Committee members present discussed changes to the spiral-bound draft Land Use Ordinance with a blue cover marked “revised January 2005”.
· Cartwright suggested using the title of each chapter as a running head at the top of each page of the chapter. This idea was well-received by the Committee.
· Cartwright recommended deleting reference to “reserved articles”, as this might make people suspicious that something is going to be added that they don’t know about. Black observed that the reserved articles make sense because they provide space for possible future ordinances.
· Maine Municipal Association has advised Black that at least in the Shoreland Zone, temporary storage structures made of canvas or plastic over a frame are treated as structures requiring permits and are subject to the same setback restrictions as other structures. The Committee did not address canvas storage shelters in revising the ordinance section on outdoor storage. Black said the ordinance does not address temporary structures. Seaver recommended adding a definition of “temporary” to the draft ordinance. Hoop structures are widely sold and becoming more common. The ordinance could address them, but it was decided not to pursue this issue at this time.
· Black suggested adding language to the draft ordinance describing the procedure for amending the ordinance. This would appear as an addendum at the end of the package. He offered to draft such language for the public informational meetings. Seaver and Golden agreed that it is important to bring this up at the public meetings and if possible include it in the ordinance.
3. Waldoboro Business Association February Meeting
Karkow, Black and Lincoln County planner Bob Faunce attended a meeting of the Waldoboro Business Association last week. As an introduction Karkow gave the history of land use ordinances in Waldoboro starting in the 1960s. Faunce gave a power point presentation about the ordinance revision and why the revised ordinance is good for local businesses. Karkow will send a letter reinforcing this message to Nancy Dail, president of the business group.
Seaver made the point that it is better for a business to locate in a town with effective ordinances that govern what land uses can occur next to the business. No one likes restrictions, but predictability is a benefit to businesses, he said. Karkow said the intent of the ordinances is to encourage healthy development of businesses in Waldoboro. While he was on the Planning Board no reasonable proposed business was denied a permit.
4. Sequence of Events, March - June 2005
Black proposed holding two public informational meetings about the draft ordinance on March 14 and 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Miller School if the gym is available. He will notify Committee members of the confirmed dates and times. The meetings will be posted and there will be notices in the papers. Copies of the draft ordinance will be available at the Town Office, public library, and elsewhere. The secretary will attempt to record all the questions asked at the public meetings. The Land Use Committee will meet on March 28 to discuss input received at the public meetings and decide whether to make any changes to the draft ordinance. Golden suggested not specifying an ending time on the March 28 agenda.
The revised draft ordinance will be presented to the Selectmen at their April 12 meeting. The Selectmen will schedule a public hearing in May and townspeople will vote on the revised ordinance in June. The Selectmen will decide whether the vote will be in open town meeting or by secret ballot.
5. Discussion of Strategy – How to Present the Draft Ordinance
Seaver said that the message to get across for the public informational meetings is that it is not too late to make changes in the draft ordinance. He suggested highlighting the word “DRAFT” in yellow on copies of the draft ordinance.
Karkow said the ordinance revisions are the best way to keep Waldoboro looking the way it does now, which is what people want. He recommended a simple and broad-ranging statement of how the revised land use ordinances will make people’s lives better. A two-page write-up could be mailed to boxholders shortly before the June vote.
Myers said the key to sustaining a rural community is to make it easier for people to operate businesses out of their homes. The draft ordinance revision expands opportunities for businesses as home occupations in residential areas.
Karkow said that people who object to a specific provision in the ordinance can be reassured that whatever structure or use is on their property now is grandfathered.
The Committee discussed whether to ask Lincoln County planner Bob Faunce to attend the public informational meetings. It was thought best to have Waldoboro residents make the presentation and respond to questions.
Karkow will draft a two-page summary of the changes made during ordinance revision and send it to Cartwright for his input. Karkow will refer to Faunce’s December 2004 two-page “Summary of the More Significant Differences between the Current 1987 and Proposed 2005 Ordinances”. Cartwright recommended giving the names of all 19 members of the Land Use Committee. He will write press releases about the draft land use ordinance and publicize the public informational meetings.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.