Ogunquit News
All-in-one Ogunquit zoning question breeds contention among some voters
By C. Ayn Douglass
OGUNQUIT - A conscientious effort on the part of the Planning Board and Land Use Office resulting in one warrant article to adjust 14 areas in the zoning ordinance to comply with the Comprehensive Plan is an ambitious and hopeful intent on the part of the two groups.Their efforts over the last 18 months have resulted in changes that, if approved, will protect the environment, promote affordable housing, improve stormwater management and define the area in which hotel/motels may expand.
However, like York voters a few years ago who were faced with wholesale changes in their zoning with a proposal known as 10-B, a faction of Ogunquit voters are digging in their heels and recommending a negative vote on question 4, which reads: "Shall an ordinance entitled 'An Ordinance to Amend Title X (Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance) to implement the Comprehensive Plan," Draft 7 dated Sept. 5, 2006, in the form posted and previously made available in the Town Clerk's Office for inspection, use and examination by the public be adopted?"
Long-time resident, Budget Committee member and Land Trust and Conservation Commission member Brad Sterl is recommending a "no" vote on the package for two reasons. While he is a strong supporter of the Comprehensive Plan and all it includes, he is against putting forth all 14 articles as one amendment.
"The people ought to have the opportunity to vote on these individually. I know a lot of people approached the selectmen to ask that they be individual articles, but the selectmen voted to put them all together as one," he said.
Sterl specifically is in opposition to the provision defined in the second of the 14 changes, allowing hotel/motel expansion in the General Business District -2 area that extends from the Wells town line roughly to Hoyt's Lane and from the York line to the flashing light at Admiral's Inn. The four square miles comprising Ogunquit consist of 13 zoning districts.
"It's all over expansion of new motels in GBD2 area and areas around it could be affected," Sterl said. "People ought to know about it. It's opening up that area for expansion and it's not on the ballot as an individual item."
For these reasons, Sterl recommends a negative vote on Article 4 to give the Planning Board another look at the item regarding hotel/motel expansion.
Speaking as a Conservation Committee member, he said, "The Planning Board can allow (expansion) to happen and we have so little land left to conserve."
Planning Board Chairman Steve Wilkos is optimistic that the article will pass.
"I do personally think it's going to pass because in talking with people in town our voters are an intelligent and well informed (group) and can see that the efforts of a few people (against the change) is short-sighted," he said.
Wilkos said most of Route 1 is served by municipal water and sewer and he hasn't done a study on the effects of expansion on those municipal services, but the building permit process is a slow process and it would be unlikely that Ogunquit would see new hotels and motels mushrooming up and down Route1 in the GBD2 zone.
Wilkos said that any expansion in GBD2 would be scrutinized by the Planning Board for preliminary review, site plan, design review and final plan.
The Comprehensive Plan written to control the future growth of Ogunquit took nearly three years to write and was adopted enthusiastically by Ogunquit voters in the fall of 2004. Under the State of Maine Growth Management Act, the town is required to adjust zoning laws in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan within two years. Passage of the amendment will complete the process within the deadline.
According to Ogunquit's Planning Consultant with the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission, many towns have not complied with the Growth Management Act as yet with no adverse action from the state.
Town Clerk Judy Shaw-Kagiliery said polls will be open at the Dunaway Center on Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Of Ogunquit's 1,134 registered voters, 64 had voted absentee as of Monday night, she confirmed, and absentee ballots may be cast during normal business hours weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
