The Damariscotta Planning and Advisory Committee (DPAC) discussed methods to solicit input from the public on the development of form-based codes at their Sept. 21 meeting.
DPAC members also discussed how best to educate the public about the changes.
“There are folks that don’t want any change,” Jane Lafleur, the executive director of Friends of Midcoast Maine said. Change of some kind, however, is inevitable, she said. “The question is, how do you make that change so you get the future you want?”
Lafleur, who is also the coordinator of the Heart & Soul Community Planning initiative, said someone suggested the town refer to code changes as zoning amendments. “That’s what it is,” Lafleur said.
“It might alarm people enough to read about it and ask questions,” DPAC member Linda Morkeski said.
Chairman Robin Mayer encouraged members to “make yourself available to your constituent groups” and meet with community organizations to discuss the process.
Damariscotta has hired a consultant to develop form-based codes based on the Heart & Soul Charrette Report. A town-wide vote will have veto power over any new codes.
The town needs to address the codes before Piper Commons can start the permitting process, John Mann, a consultant for the project, said. That permitting process can take an entire year, he said. “We’re already over a year behind from where the predictions were when we started.”
“There’s no point in even preparing them [permit applications] until we know what the codes are going to be,” Mann said.
“One of the principles of the [charrette] report is to encourage walkability,” Lafleur said. “How do we encourage development that meets that goal? How do we design a code that helps us attain a walkable community?
During the charrette, the town sought input from residents, but some residents don’t understand that the codes development process is meant to preserve and promote the growth of the values – like walkability – the report includes, Lafleur said.
“Today’s codes require a 40-foot setback, no sidewalks, a certain distance between buildings… Do you want a walkable community? If so, your present codes do not support that,” Lafleur said.
Part of the problem, Mayer said, is that codes development focuses on three specific areas of the town – Bus. Rt. 1, downtown, and Piper Commons – and residents of other neighborhoods “are looking at different issues.”
Members agreed to arrange multiple workshops and investigate the possibility of showing informational videos on LCTV and at the Skidompha Library and placing a full-page advertisement in The Lincoln County News for their recently developed list of frequently asked questions.
Eight of the 14 active DPAC members were present at the meeting. The committee still has seven vacant seats. The town is also seeking volunteers for the 20-seat Damariscotta Comprehensive Planning Committee. “If you’re interested, let [Town Planner] Tony [Dater] or [Town Manager] Greg [Zinser] know,” Mayer said.
“It’s usually a two-year process,” Lafleur said.
For more information about DPAC or the Heart & Soul Community Planning initiative, visit www.damariscottame.com.
