To the Editor:
I have been told that Form Based or SmartCodes have been around for about 30 years. I thought they started with Leavittown, Long Island after WWII. I do know a little about the history of FBC’s in Damariscotta as I was the chair of DPAC for more than two years.
Incidentally, I stepped down when I became a selectman, citing conflict of interest.
When DPAC was formed in May 2007, it was given the charge of advising the selectman of concerns of the community. The summer was spent getting organized and writing a mission statement. As early as the fall, a few members were pushing for a charrette.
While the Orton Foundation grant was being awarded the town for the “Heart & Soul” study, DPAC was cajoled, bullied and even lied to about including a charrette. When the consultant was hired for the charrette, he announced in his introductory presentation that his zoning ordinance team member was a specialist in FBC’s. The same was true for the consultant hired to write the proposed codes. And the consultant from Newport, Vt. came from a municipality that had adopted FBC’s.
Why wasn’t there a consultant from Montpelier, Vt., a municipality that voted against FBC’s? If FBC’s are so great, why are there only about seven municipalities in all of New England that have adopted them?
Since there were no alternatives considered, I say, like King Midas, be careful what you wish for.
David Atwater, Damariscotta
