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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-01-18 Planning Board Minutes PLANNING BOARD OF THE CITY OF BANGOR MEETING OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2005 MINUTES Board Members Present: Robert Guerette, Chairman Hal Wheeler David Clark Ryan King Nathaniel Rosenblatt Patricia Cummings Bill Masters Jonathan Siegel City Staff Present: David Gould James Ring Lynn Johnson News Media Present: None Chairman Guerette called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. CONSENT AGENDA As no one wished to remove either item for discussion, Chairman Guerette asked for a motion. Mr. Rosenblatt moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Mr. Wheeler seconded the motion. The Board voted five in favor and none opposed to approving the Consent Agenda. The items approved are: Item No. 1: Site Development Plan approval to construct a 24,525-square foot medical office building on Corporate Avenue in an Industry and Service District. Sunbury Properties, LLC, applicant. Item No. 2: Developmental Subdivision Plan approval to re- configure space in two approved condominium units located at 24 Pleasant Street in a Waterfront Development District. Pleasant Street Condos, Inc., applicant. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Item No. 3: Planning Board Approval of Minutes. The Planning Staff noted that two sets of Minutes needed to be approved by the Planning Board, namely, the January 4, 2005 Minutes and the December 21, 2004 Minutes. Mr. Rosenblatt moved to approve the Minutes of January 4, 2005 Planning Board Meeting. Mr. Clark seconded the motion. The Board voted unanimously to approve the Minutes of the January 4, 2005 Meeting. Mr. Rosenblatt abstained from voting on the December 21, 2004 Meeting Minutes because he was not present at that meeting. Mr. Wheeler moved to approve the December 21, 2004 Planning Board Meeting Minutes. Mr. Clark seconded the motion. The Board voted four in favor and none opposed to the motion approving the Minutes of the December 21, 2004 Meeting. NEW BUSINESS Item No. 4: Comprehensive Plan Update Project. Chairman Guerette said that he was impressed with how well the first Neighborhood Workshop had gone. Planner Gould distributed materials for the second workshop to be held on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at the Fairmount School. Mr. Gould indicated that this was the smallest of the four quadrants. Because this quadrant is mostly developed, there is not a lot of room for new development projects. Mr. Gould noted that developments in this quadrant included Bass Park and the proposed Racino, the Waterfront Development, the Shaw’s project, Manna relocating into the former Beal College Building, Beal College relocating in the Industrial Park, and the New York Street Subdivision. Mr. Gould made a suggestion for the next workshop that a pathway be made behind the audience seating to allow those who arrive late an opportunity to be seated without walking in front of everyone. Mr. Siegel suggested that the seats be arranged in a semi-circle just as the tables for the Board were at the last workshop. Mr. Masters asked if it would be possible to have a “roaming” microphone so that people could speak while sitting in their chairs. He thought that standing up in front of everyone is intimidating and having a roaming microphone might spur questions. Chairman Guerette said that he did not feel that it was 2 necessarily intimidating for people to come up to the microphone and introduce themselves. He was hesitant to pass around a microphone because he felt that this process deserves more planning and organization. He would like to have comments at the microphone, especially, from those people who have prepared comments. Mr. King suggested that maybe at the end of the meeting a roaming microphone could be provided for any other comments that people would want to share. Mr. King also said that as he was leaving the workshop, there were people who were discussing issues other than Comprehensive Plan issues. Mr. Ring indicated that the City Council has held neighborhood meetings to discuss these types of issues. He noted that the audience could be reminded that if they have other issues, they could come to the City Council meetings that are held every two weeks, come to City Hall, or e-mail their comments. Their comments can then be forwarded to the appropriate people and Boards. Mr. Rosenblatt suggested that the Board indicate to people that they are also encouraged to submit comments in writing. Ms. Cummings felt that the beginning statements may have been too long, and suggested that the Chairman give the instructions on the Attendance Sheet and Survey, and that Planning Officer Weber could discuss the statistics and changes in the various quadrants. This would leave more time for comments from the audience. Mr. Clark agreed that more time should be spent listening than talking. He also noted that there were people attending who were not residents of the quadrant who did not speak at the meeting. Mr. King suggested that it might be helpful to have the maps available as a handout. Mr. Gould noted that there were a variety of maps that could be made into handouts. Mr. Wheeler felt that holding the neighborhood meetings is a benefit to the City, and added that he was impressed by the turnout. He was also impressed with the media coverage, as there was a great deal of time on the air about the meeting. Mr. Wheeler suggested that the seating be placed closer to the Board in an attempt to make the seating more comfortable for the audience. He commended the Staff for the their effort in making arrangements for the meeting, and said that he is looking forward to the next three meetings. Mr. Masters suggested that the podium be placed between the seats or off to one side. Mr. Gould noted that each school would have its uniqueness in setting up for these meetings. Mr. Gould also noted that we are all in debt to the people at Abraham Lincoln School and their Staff for providing the 3 accommodations. Chairman Guerette noted that he would send off a letter of thanks and appreciation. Ms. Cummings asked if the display boards could be placed so that the citizens would have a better opportunity to look at them. Mr. Masters asked if there was a big screen that could be used. Mr. Gould said that it might be possible through a power point presentation, but that only one item would be viewed at a time. Chairman Guerette went over the points discussed, including, making the room more user-friendly, having the audience closer to the Board, having a roaming microphone, and condensing the opening comments. Mr. Wheeler noted that only 10 surveys were returned at the meeting, and asked if there was more that could be done to encourage more people to fill them out. Mr. Masters suggested providing self-addressed stamped envelopes. Mr. Siegel felt that the 10 surveys returned represented a 25% return, and is a good return for surveys. He said that he did not feel that providing the envelopes would greatly increase the rate of return, and that the costs would outweigh the benefits. Mr. Gould indicated that in the next quadrant, the Board will be discussing the Waterfront, Bass Park, and the proposed Racino, and Staff would prepare visual aids for these projects. There being no further comments, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. 4