June 15, Boothbay Harbor hosted a virtual public meeting with consultant VHB, Inc. to discuss policies and strategies for future town development as part of an ongoing comprehensive plan. Many categories were discussed by VHB Project Manager Luke Mitchell and Urban Planner Talia Matarazzo, with recommendations based upon state requirements and community feedback.  

 

As reported in the Register, a comprehensive plan is a vision document that records a community’s origins, its present state and the direction it wants to take. Per Maine state guidelines, the plan must include a Future Land Use Plan (FLUP) that shows how development will change land use.

 

An implementation process that sets out the methodology and what entities are responsible for carrying it out is also required. This helps translate community visions into action, makes it easier to coordinate local efforts with regional and state policies, and prioritizes limited financial and staff resources.  

 

The presentation went over housing, land use, economic development, historic and archeological resources, transportation and mobility policies, recreation, community facility and service policies, fiscal capacity, marine resources, and agricultural and forest resources, with a vision statement and draft policies for each.

 

Mitchell clarified that the plan’s purpose was not to overlap with standard capital improvement projects or maintenance items found in an annual budget. “We want to focus on big-picture items that represent a change or transformation from the way that things have been done, to the way things should be done.”

 

Housing prompted the most discussion. Based upon community concerns, one recommendation was to monitor and regulate short-term rentals. Mitchell said some communities put a cap on short-term rentals, or extract fees and/or taxes from the proprietors of short-term rentals to support affordable housing.  

 

As a short-term renter in both Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor, Pedego Electric Bike owner Roger Matthews expressed hesitancy over the term “regulate.”  

 

Alison Evans of AE Homes also shared concerns, saying the policy should take into account people who rent part of their homes to afford mortgages. “I don't think it would be smart to penalize people who are ... figuring things out in other ways in order to afford the life they want.”

 

Boothbay Harbor Selectman Mike Tomko said this policy can have distinctions, such as seen in Camden, which differentiate between an owner-occupied rental, a seasonal rental and commercial property whose owners are not part of the community beyond holding the property.  

 

Other strategies included developing an affordable housing trust funded through private development, partnering with local and regional organizations to expand home ownership and credit assistance classes, and expanding marketing of affordable units.

 

In land use, Mitchell suggested hiring a full-time community and economic development planner, as it will be hard to see desired outcomes come to fruition otherwise, as well as reviewing the planning and appeals board to ensure its methodologies and purviews still make sense; it is also important to coordinate the community’s land use strategies with other local planning efforts and specify which plans Boothbay Harbor wants to work with surrounding towns on, and which are for Lincoln County.  

 

Kate Sullivan expressed frustration that the comp plan is not a peninsula-wide endeavor, as most policies require large-scale cooperation, and each town is acting largely independently. Tomko has been meeting with Boothbay selectmen to encourage the sharing of information.  

 

For community facilities and services, Town Manager Julia Latter said the Boothbay Harbor town hall is at capacity and personnel are sharing offices. The police station is also cramped. The possibility of moving the offices was floated.  

 

Parking and transportation came up multiple times. Suggestions were to add more parking to the region and relieve the pressure on parking needs by finding other ways people can get into town through ride-share options or public transportation. The latter point could help make downtown a more pedestrian and bike-friendly area.

 

Other topics included increasing cooperation with and support of Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce for regional marketing, creating a preservation board and adopting design review standards/demolition delay provisions for historic areas or resources, and taking into account the region’s senior population and how economic development can accommodate them.

 

Work on the comp plan continues. When a final draft is complete, there will be public forums to get more feedback. The goal is to schedule an adoption vote around the general election in November. The plan will then go to the state for approval.