Voters will decide on November 5 to see if David Stimson, the Boothbay boatbuilder whose business was shut down by the town, can resume constructing boats at his home on the River Road.

Two competing questions will be on the secret ballot: one submitted by Stimson, the other recommended by the planning board.

Stimson's initiative (Question 5) seeks to make the construction and repair of boats an allowable use in a residential neighborhood. The planning board's proposal, (Question 4) wants to allow boatbuilding to fall under the restrictions of a home occupation.

In a recent email sent to the town, Stimson said he feared supporting one article or the other would create “a division that would be damaging to the community as a whole,” so he is encouraging people to vote for the proposal recommended by the planning board.

“Rather than discourage people from voting on my proposal, I would like to encourage everyone to vote for the planning board's version, just in order to get some positive change,” Stimson said.

According to the planning board, Question 4 would not change the town's zoning ordinances, but instead amend the definitions related to boatbuilding to allow the repair and construction of boats to be a “home occupation.”

“The exception as a home occupation is what most of David's business is,” said Fran McBrearty, the vice chairman of the planning board. “It doesn't just protect David. It also protects anybody else in the area that wants to go into that occupation as a home occupation; a family business with a limited number of employees.”

A home occupation in Boothbay limits the size and scope of a business to protect the neighborhood and environment from adverse impacts. The current zoning ordinances for a home occupation regulate noise, number of employees, the use of hazardous materials, the size of structures, and seeks to retain the residential character of the neighborhood.

“I don't support every detail of the planning board's version, but I do support the spirit of it,” Stimson said. “It's never going to be perfect at any one time, but I see this as a big step in the right direction.”

Stimson said regardless of the outcome, he plans to continue to work with the planning board and comprehensive plan committee to try to make improvements in the next year “to make things fair for everybody.”

For more than 12 months, Stimson has argued his case before Boothbay's standing boards. He has circulated a petition and tried to find ways to keep his business afloat.

In March, Stimson was issued a permit to repair boats, but he was not able to meet the conditions set forth by the planning board to finish his storage building. He said he has lost more than $150,000 in revenue being out of work.

“It's going to be difficult to finish the building and try to make a living at the same time,” Stimson said. “I feel positive about it but it's not going to be easy.”