The town has asked the State for at least six extra months to come into compliance with a Maine law requiring new zoning that allows for greater housing density.
The regulations of LD 1829, scheduled to go into effect July 1, increase residential development in most Maine communities in an effort to expand statewide housing affordability and access.
In a letter to the Maine Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee, Town Councilor Paul Schumacher asked that South Berwick be among the towns given more time to meet the new state zoning mandates, which can allow certain towns an extension, he told the council at its Feb. 24 meeting.
“We are attempting to conduct a thoughtful dialogue with our residents on what the density implications of LD 1829 might mean for our community, while also maintaining the character of the town,” Schumacher wrote in his letter to the Legislature, which is included in the council’s meeting packet.
Meeting the July time limit for LD 1829 requirements would be “a nearly impossible task … unless we wish to quickly put together zoning and subdivision changes that would imperil what we have created through thoughtful planning over the last 30-40 years,” he wrote.
The Town Council is seeking an extension to at least Jan. 1, 2027, to meet the zoning requirements, according to Schumacher’s letter.
“We hope that happens,” Schumacher told other councilors, “but we should be hearing more [from the Legislature] soon.”
If the extension is not granted, Council Chair John James said, “There will be a lot of late nights working on this issue.”
In other council business Feb. 24:
- The council scheduled a public hearing 6 p.m. March 10 to determine if 18.76 acres off Route 236 should be included in the Punkintown Tax Increment Financing District. In October, Josh Dow, co-owner of Cast In Bronze LLC and Green Foundry in Eliot, asked the council to consider adding his recently purchased property at 8 Punkintown Road to the TIF district across from Marshwood High School, where he proposed developing an “industrial arts campus.”
- A public hearing was held before the regular meeting to discuss a pending amendment to the Downtown Revitalization Plan that would include a proposed Landing Trail. Jill Crosby of the Great Works Regional Land Trust voiced support for the trail, which would begin at Counting House Park and end at the former Great Works Mill site on Brattle Street. Crosby was the only member of the public to speak on the proposal.
- The council approved spending up to $100,000 to purchase a generator for Town Hall.
- The council agreed to interview Laurie Melanson of Academy Street for membership on the new “Our Town, Our Voices” Community Art Committee, so far the only applicant. The interview will take place March 10 at 5:45 pm. The Town is seeking volunteers for the committee, which will assist the council in its choice of permanent art installations for the Town Hall renovation and rotating community exhibitions throughout town.
