HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-02-21 Business and Economic Development Committee Minutes BUSINESS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 @ 5:15 PM
City Council Chambers
MEETING MINUTES
City Councilors Present: Davitt (via Zoom), Fournier, Schaefer, Sprague,
Tremble, Yacoubagha.
City Staff Present: Collette, Krieg, Labree, Wallace.
Chair Sprague called the meeting to order at 5:15 P.M.
1. EMERGENCY SHELTERS DISCUSSION,Action requested to provide staff
direction
Development Director Anne Krieg presented to the Committee. Stated that
emergency shelters were proposed as a conditional use in the Government &
Institutional Service District (G&ISD) last year but the proposal did not pass at
Planning Board or at City Council. This was because of a slight conflict in wording
between Code Ordinances and Council Orders which staff is now trying to resolve.
One proposal is to allow emergency shelters as a conditional use on major arterials
only; another is to allow them as a conditional use on properties in residential
districts that meet a 100ft setback requirement.
Councilor Schaefer suggested clarifying whether shelters are for personal
emergencies (such as housing insecurity) or community-wide emergencies (such
as extreme weather events). Councilor Davitt stated that she found a definition
from a previous proposal as "any facility operated by a not-for-profit or public
agency providing temporary overnight shelter to homeless individuals, which
provides shelter to no more than 70 individuals overnight."
Chair Sprague recommended clarifying the overall goal of this proposal, and
determining whether there is any conflict with the Comprehensive Plan due to the
location of the proposed areas where this conditional use would be allowed.
2. NO MOW MAY PROPOSAL, Action requested to provide staff direction on
Code change
Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Wallace presented to the Committee. Stated that
proposal is to relax standard of <10" grass height for lawn mowing requirements
during the month of May, as this is when pollinators are just coming out of
hibernation and research has shown that early spring lawn mowing and pesticide
use can be detrimental to these populations.
Chair Sprague recommended communicating this Code change well to the
community so that citizens don't issue complaints about un-mowed lawns.
Councilor Davitt asked if there were any associated public health concerns re:
ticks, browntail moth caterpillars, etc. Wallace responded that a study out of the
University of Maine suggested that taller grass does not attract more ticks.
3. MIKE MYATT, BANGOR HOUSING AUTHORITY, Check-in
Director of Bangor Housing Authority, Mike Myatt, presented to the Committee to
give general report on BHA's current programs. Highlighted the Family Self-
Sufficiency Program, which is a HUD program that allows families to improve
themselves financially. Bangor presently has 116 families in the program, defined
by Myatt as work-able families whose goals strive towards meaningful
employment. They also partner with the Boys & Girls Club of Bangor to provide a
two-generation approach. BHA is also the second agency in Maine to be
designated as Moving to Work, which allows them to pick and choose which HUD
programs they will participate in and be more flexible with how their HUD funds are
used. BHA also manages five projects for Bangor Housing Development
Corporation, a private non-profit organization.
Chair Sprague suggested scheduling another meeting for Myatt to return and host
a full housing workshop for Committee members.
4. REQUEST FOR FUNDING FROM CULTURAL COMMISSION FOR A
CALENDAR IN THE BANGOR DAILY NEWS
Committee agreed to defer this agenda item in the interest of time.
5. UPDATES:
a) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
Committee agreed to defer this agenda item in the interest of time.
b) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY ADDENDUM UPDATE
Committee agreed to defer this agenda item in the interest of time.
c) CDBG — HEAT PUMP GRANT UPDATE
Economic Development Officer Jeff Labree presented to the Committee.
Stated that the heat pump grant program was launched in March 2022 and
has assisted approximately 89 applicants during the last year. Each grant
award averages about $2000, paid directly to the heat pump vendor.
Efficiency Maine also gives an additional $800, on average, to each
applicant, and will also grant an additional $2000 to any property assessed
at under $90,000 and for which the applicant receives other forms of
assistance. The average cost of a heat pump installation is $4200.
Councilor Schaefer asked if staff had seen any correlation between those
applying for heat pump grants and those applying for general heating
assistance. Labree responded that this was observed frequently following
the initial launch of the program, but has since decreased.
Meeting adjourned at 6:14 P.M.
Meeting minutes respectfully submitted,
Sarah Pritchard
Admin. Asst.
C&ED