A Maine Department of Transportation official stated Sept. 8, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens’ request for a traffic movement permit pertaining to its planned expansion would likely be approved. Bureau of Maintenance and Operations Region 2 Traffic Engineer David Allen explained the purpose of the scoping session held in the Boothbay town office was to work out any problems between the Gardens and neighboring property owners regarding traffic flow and safety.

“Our position is that we approve every application with the mitigation needed,” Allen said. “This could result with the applicant saying the changes aren’t worth making, but we are here to discuss ways of making this proposal work.”

CMBG filed an application with the department on or about Aug. 2, according to a letter sent to abutters from Maine Traffic Resources, a private company contracted by the MDOT to study traffic patterns both entering and exiting the nine-year-old facility.

CMBG needs the permit to begin an expansion this fall. CMBG wants to upgrade the entrance by replacing the dirt road with a paved surface, build a new visitor center and gift shop, add 700 more parking spaces, construct a 25,000 square foot conservatory, and add a few more acres of gardens. The existing visitor center would be converted into restaurant and hospitality space along with more room for educational programs, according to Jan Wiegman, a professional engineer with Wright-Pierce. Wiegman is serving as the expansion’s project manager.

CMBG Executive Director Bill Cullina explained the purpose of the expansion was to turn the nonprofit into a year round venture. The project’s focus is shifting more visitation to the shoulder seasons and away from peak summertime visits. Cullina estimated the expansion would result in 42 percent of visitation occurring between Nov. and the end of April.

“From a traffic point of view we are focusing on the shoulder seasons,” Cullina said. “We have a focus on seasonal events like the Gardens Aglow in the winter and butterfly shows in the spring. And we’re looking to shy away from special one-day events like weddings because of the impact on peak tourist season traffic.”

Two citizens were in attendance, Gaecklin Road resident Kevin Anthony and his brother Jason Anthony of Bristol. The property with the longest boundary bordering the CMBG belongs to their parents. The Anthony family has been concerned about the expansion since the proposal was announced this spring. Kevin Anthony believes this venture located in a residential district will significantly impact his family property’s livability due to the additional traffic and noise, and will decrease the overall property value.

During the session, Kevin Anthony expressed concerns about the road conditions with the current traffic patterns. He believed the expansion would only make it worse. “Our concern is this project will draw even more traffic and I don’t see any ability to regulate it. Also, I don’t want the town burdened making road improvements for the increased traffic created by the Botanical Gardens’ expansion.”

The next step in the application process is for Maine Traffic Resources to complete a traffic study. Maine Traffic Resources President Diane Morabito said the traffic count is finished and the final report would be done in a couple of weeks.

Allen will review the report and draft a permit including any mitigation plans to improve traffic flow and safety along the route to the Botanical Gardens. The draft would be sent to the town of Boothbay and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for review.

Allen expected the permit to be issued within the next six to eight weeks.