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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-04-06 Community and Economic Development Committee Minutes COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Monday, April 6, 1992 • MINUTES MEMBERS PRESENT: Councilor W. Tom Sawyer, Chair Councilor Marshall Frankel Councilor Don Soucy Councilor Pat Blanchette OTHERS PRESENT: Councilor Gerard Baldacci Edward A. Barrett, City Manager Kenneth Gibb, Director of Community & Economic Development John Lord, Planning Officer Elsie Coffey, Executive Director of Bangor Housing Auth. Roland Perry, City Forrester NEWS MEDIA: Ned Porter, Bangor Daily News The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM. AGENDA ITEM #1 - Proposed Council Resolve Regarding Bangor Housing Authority Application The Community Development staff had received a request from the Bangor Housing Authority (BHA) to prepare a Council Resolve to the City Council to approve their submission of an application for a $75,000 mini-planning grant from the Federal HOPE I funds (the maximum allowed is $100,000) . The application deadline is April 17th; BHA has 18 months to conduct a study to determine if this project is feasible at Capehart. This is a HUD sponsored program whereby low-income tenants would be able to purchase the Capehart units they currently occupy. Twelve units are currently being considered. The potential owners would continue to pay no more than 30% of their income; their mortgage will be tailored to their income. Elsie Coffey, Executive Director of the Bangor Housing Authority, made a presentation to Committee explaining the finer points of the program's feasibility study to be conducted as well as answering questions from Committee and Staff. Councilor Don Soucy recommended approval of the Resolve by the Bangor Housing Authority. So voted unanimously. • 2 AGENDA ITEM #2 - Update on Prentiss Woods Trail Improvement Project Roland Perry, City Forester, updated the Committee and staff on the history and progress of 2 natural land area preserves . Prentiss Woods is a city-owned preserve located north of Grandview .Ave. , in back of Bangor High School, in an area that was reforested about 25 years ago. There are approximately 40 acres in this preserve. He indicated that 2 years ago they put in a parking lot using salvaged materials . In the winter, loop trails were cut up through the preserve with street sweepings being used to build these trails . At this point in time, the trails are half completed with about 3-400 more feet to be completed. There is ample vegetation of Oak and White Birch on this preserve. Thinning and pruning have been done. The second parcel, called the Brown Woods, is approximately 30 acres located on Ohio Street and was willed to the City. This preserve has also undergone basically the same improvements as Prentiss Woods. Both of these preserves have been improved with the intention of low-maintenance (the most that would have to be done perhaps would be to take care of any fallen trees) . Roland indicated that there are no stipulations on Prentiss Woods preserve as to what can be done to the land. On Brown Woods, however, there are some restrictions called for in the deed but none that relate to what Roland is proposing to do. • AGENDA ITEM #3 - Proposed Regulations at Pleasant Street Parking Lot Ken Gibb presented the proposed parking regulations to take place at the Pleasant Street Parking lot. This is part of a public/private agreement with Burgundy Realty Trust and the City of Bangor. It has a total of 83 spaces with the delineation breakdown as follows: 8 - public 2-hour parking 36 - public unrestricted (lower level) 30 - leased to Burgundy Realty Trust (per agreement) 8 - reserved for Bean & Conquest (per land acquisition negotiations) All spaces will be available to the public after business hours and on weekends. It was moved, seconded and unanimously approved that the Committee recommends approval of the ordinance amendments to the City Council . 111 . _ 3 AGENDA ITEM #4 - Land Development Code Amendments • This item pertains to two Land Development Code Amendments being proposed. It was brought before the Committee at this time in order to have a full discussion on it before it went to the City Council for their consideration. The first amendment is a "housekeeping" provision to clarify the status of formerly approved subdivisions which were located in the Residential 1-A Zone under the 1974 Zoning Ordinance. These subdivisions are "grandfathered" under the provisions of subsection D of this Section (nonconformities) of the Ordinance as to site development standards. If the lot does not meet the lot width and area of the new Land Development Code it will be considered a grandfathered parcel and may be built upon. Since manufactured housing subdivisions are a conditional use in the LDR district of the new Land Development Code and not a permitted use, there has been some question as to whether there is any grandfathering of the use on lots which do not already have manufactured housing placed on them. All undeveloped lots in the former R-1A Zones would have to receive a conditional use permit under the provisions of the current Ordinance. Staff has proposed the grandfathering of the lots in a formerly zoned R-1A subdivision for the manufactured housing use. This means that it would not be necessary to receive conditional use approval for those previously approved subdivisions which meet the grandfather provisions under this section as to development standards . Any future subdivision development in the • LDR Districts will require conditional use approval (which would be granted at the time of the subdivision review itself) . This amendment has been reviewed by the Comprehensive Plan Committee and Staff would recommend that the Planning Board recommend it to the City Council. The second amendment dealt with minimum lot area and width for manufactured housing. Staff had reviewed the status of manufactured housing subdivisions in the context of the proposed amendment and in the LDR District and came to the conclusion that applying the same minimum standards to manufactured housing as applied to single-family detached housing was not logical. Staff indicated that a more appropriate set of minimum standards for manufactured housing should reflect their long and narrow design, thereby reduce the lot width to 75 feet and the minimum lot size to 10,000 sq. ft. Staff recommended passage of the proposed amendment setting forth these changes. • 4 Committee member, Councilor Don Soucy asked to abstain from • voting on this item as he is presently in the process of obtaining an R-1A subdivison which is 2/3 approved and sold out. He did, however, (as a concerned citizen) offer comments regarding the minimum standards. He stated that he felt the minimum standards should be the same for everybody - whether manufactured housing or single-family detached - 10,000 sq. ft. is sufficient. Committee member, Councilor Marshall Frankel also indicated the same feeling - that the minimum standards should be the same for everybody. Marshall Frankel moved that the Committee recommend approval of Ordinance 92-149 and that a new ordinance amendment, which designates minimum lot sizes of 10,000 square feet for manufactured and stick built homes, be pepared for first reading for the City Council. Pat Blanchette seconded and the motion was unanimously approved. The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 PM. rp 4/14/92 •