York Town News
York's new Town Hall?
By Jennifer L. Saunders
This view, provided by the architectural and engineering firm SMRT, shows the site plan for the proposed York Town Hall. The site would be accessed from Long Sands Road, and the building is proposed to be visible from the road.
Courtesy of town of York
At the selectmen's meeting on Monday, Feb. 26, representatives from the architectural and engineering firm SMRT presented a site plan layout and building design based on the work of the Municipal Building Committee over the past several months.
The plan was met with strong support from the Board of Selectmen, which voted unanimously to - in Vice Chairman Dwight Bardwell's words - "wholeheartedly endorse" the plan and recommend it to the Budget Committee for inclusion on the May warrant.
Earlier in the meeting, Town Manager Rob Yandow explained that the design proposed for the acres located behind Coventry Hall and the former Ice House on Long Sands Road has come forward based on many discussions.
"We're at a point now where we've got information put together and we're moving forward with a conceptual design," Yandow said.
Representatives from SMRT explained that the firm began with a program to quantify the space needs as a guide for designing the building. One key direction they received from the committee, they noted, was to be sure the building would be visible from Long Sands Road.
The plan, as proposed, includes a public meeting area at a ground-floor entry basement level. That room is estimated at about one-third larger in size than the York Public Library's Community Meeting Room.
The sloping site includes tiered parking with multiple entrances to the building so that residents coming for evening meetings or special events do not need to enter through the office space. Those coming to Town Hall during regular business hours, meanwhile, would not need to enter through the basement level, but could access the second-floor Town Clerk, Planning and Code Enforcement offices directly, or go upstairs to the town's administrative offices.
The building is also designed to house the York Parks and Recreation Department, which has been located at the Grant House for several years, due to budget and space constraints.
Using a basement level helped keep the building from becoming a big box, according to SMRT representatives, and also allowed the architects to meet the town's space needs without exceeding the 38-foot height restriction for the building.
The plan also reflects a request from the committee to create a building in keeping with the historical character of York Village and includes clapboard siding with a stone exterior for the basement level.
The site design includes retaining a pond on the property and a meditative garden adjacent to the Town Hall site. The building will face Long Sands Road with access by way of a driveway located between the former Ice House and Coventry Hall.
Another goal, according to the firm, has been to maximize the buffers between the site and abutters, including the residential York Heights neighborhood.
"It's absolutely gorgeous," Bardwell said after the presentation. "It's well within what we talked about with the historic feel of the building."
Selectman Len Dorrian questioned the opportunity to expand in the future and there is room to do that, according to SMRT, but parking could become a challenge.
Selectmen Chairman David Marshall pointed out, however, that with a meeting room that can accommodate about 200 people planned for the building, and all town departments to be included under its roof, the need to expand the facility is not anticipated any time in the near future.
In discussing the plan, Marshall reviewed the process to date, beginning with the strong voter support at the polls last May to purchase the Long Sands Road property for a new municipal complex and the subsequent work of the Municipal Building Committee with a goal of having a capital request for the building and site plan on the ballot this May.
The town's Capital Planning Committee has recommended a $6.5 million capital item to fund the construction of the new Town Hall, and that item is now being reviewed by the Budget Committee.
"I think this is the first time in York's history it will own its own Town Hall on its own land," Bardwell said, also pointing to the goal of the Comprehensive Plan to keep Town Hall in York Village. "…I really hope that we have a lot of positive response from the folks out there."
Bardwell said he could picture special events like the Memorial Day and Harvestfest celebrations to include community gatherings at the Town Hall and on the surrounding land.
"This can be part of the centerpiece of what York Village is about," he said, adding, "… I just think it's a really neat opportunity for the town."
Selectman Michael Estes added that the building is also being designed with energy savings and the environment in mind. While that might cost more upfront, he said, it will save the town significantly over time. In addition to heating and cooling systems that are environmentally-friendly, recycled materials are being looked at for such uses as carpeting and flooring.
Marshall noted the proposal also includes a plan to trap and direct stormwater on the site.
"We will actually be significantly enhancing the drainage situation in the center of York," he said. "… The total pricetag for this site, at this point in time, is right in the range of $6.5 million. I would love to build the building cheaper … but there's been a 20 percent inflation rate in just the past two years in for this type of building."
The board has given its unanimous support to the project, and Marshall was scheduled to appear before the Budget Committee to present the recommendation on Tuesday.
While what has been described as a decades-long search for a new Town Hall was in the forefront at the meeting, it was not the only high profile issue on the board's agenda. The selectmen also reviewed proposed amendments to the town's Residential Growth Ordinance with Town Planner Steve Burns.
Burns explained that while some of the changes are clerical in nature, others are required to bring the town's ordinance into compliance with the new state growth law that goes into effect July 1.
The new law requires towns to increase the number of building permits granted each year, and to provide 10 percent for affordable housing.
Burns explained the proposal includes an increase in non-subdivision annual growth permits from 60 to 72 per year, for a total with subdivision lots of 96 per year with an addition of at least 10 percent more for affordable housing.
While York has filed legislation in an effort to clarify the interpretation of the law, Town Manager Rob Yandow said the outcome of that bill should not affect the ordinance currently being reviewed.
The selectmen had discussions around which entities should provide affordable housing under the ordinance, and ultimately decided to move the plan forward to a public hearing on March 26, with the understanding that Burns should propose possible changes for the board's review at its next meeting on March 12.
"I think we're going to be looking at this every time we have an election," Bardwell said of the ordinance provisions.
There were no comments on the ordinance, or on a second proposed zoning ordinance to amend the York Village Overlay District to exempt main municipal buildings from the height limits in place and allow 50-foot building heights to maximize site flexibility.
"It's shorter than the hospital is allowed in the Hospital Overlay Zone," Burns noted, as York Hospital is allowed to expand up to 60 feet in height. "We're not setting the bar higher than it's already been set."
That proposal is also scheduled for second public hearing on March 26.
In other business, the board accepted the resignation of Richard Smith from the Planning Board with regret and thanks, and appointed Lee Corbin as a regular member. Two alternate positions are now open. For more information, call Town Hall at 363-1000.
The selectmen also formally accepted the resignation of Selectman Torbert Macdonald, Jr., effective May 19. Nomination papers to fill Macdonald's term, and for the seat currently held by Selectman Len Dorrian, are available at the Town Clerk's Office, along with papers for an array of other posts to be decided at the May election.
Macdonald has previously said he will attend meetings if his health allows, as his resignation was necessitated by his ongoing battle with Lyme Disease.
Looking to upcoming meetings, the board has agreed to schedule time to review the use of the Grant House, following concerns raised by local residents Helen Rollins Lord and Fred Knox about the availability of that property to local residents and its historic designation. Both pointed out it was donated by the Goodrich and Breckinridge families for the use of the people of York.
Meanwhile, the Budget Committee received its presentation on the proposed Town Hall facility from Marshall when its meeting began shortly after 6 p.m. on Tuesday night, Feb. 27. No details on the committee's decision were available at press time.
See next week's edition of The Independent for the latest on the Town Hall proposal
