Planning
Board hears zone change comment
By Elizabeth Prata
Gray--About 75 people came to the Planning Board meeting
in Gray on April 28, and the meeting went so well
that one speaker congratulated the rest of his fellow
citizens for a job well done.
The Gray Town Council had been reviewing changes to
zoning in areas town-wide for almost two years. As
the Council neared the end of their process, state
statute triggers the necessity for a public hearing
by the "reviewing body," which is the local
Planning Board.
Many citizens had been attending the Council workshops
that were devoted to the zoning topic, disappointed
with some proposed changes and concerned that other
changes were not necessary. They expressed those sentiments
at a variety of meetings at which the Council presided
and the tone ranged from tense to outright hostile,
with one notable meeting nearly coming to blows between
a Councilor and a regularly attending citizen.
When the Council passed the zoning changes to date
to the Planning Board for its Public hearing, it was
expected that the meeting would be heavily attended.
The interior of Stimson Hall was rearranged to accommodate
as many audience members as had attended the last
Town meeting, and about 80 people did arrive at the
appointed time, with briefcases, sheaves of papers,
and notes in hand.
Planning Board Chair Peter Gellerson opened the meeting
with gravely intoned words outlining the expected
comportment of the audience, and he also outlined
the meeting's purpose. Mr. Gellerson said that though
the Planning Board was required to hold the hearing,
the Planning Board members would not be making any
particular recommendations. The members' job that
evening, Mr. Gellerson said, was to listen to the
public and receive comment, and in turn to pass those
comments back to the Council.
The first speaker was Leo Credit, representing the
Gray Business Association. He said that the GBA supported
the changes to the zones and those changes would attract
businesses to Gray and thus diversify the tax base.
Mr. Credit cited statistics that said Gray had grown
15% in population between 1990 and 2000, with the
average number of employees in Gray between 1992 and
2002 increasing by 28%. "Anything we can do to
support business, the GBA is behind," Mr. Credit
said.
Arline Foster of Gray said that she liked the changes
to her zone on Route 115 east of town, though many
of the allowed uses remained the same as before. "There
are already five or so businesses in my area and I
would like to see even more uses," she said.
Steve Holtman has a light manufacturing business on
Route 100. He said it is zoned for business but the
proposed change to business residential means that
his business would become a use that is not allowed.
He asked what would happen.
Planner Dick Cahill said that his business would be
grandfathered.
Mr. Holtman asked what would happen if he sold his
property and Mr. Cahill replied that the zone proposal
is to add administrative service, auto repair, hotels,
motels, retail trade, redemption centers, etc. Whatever
is in the area that is legally non-conforming could
remain.
Richard Moon lives on Route 115 and said that he does
not have an agricultural business, but does have a
farm. He thinks that the new zoning captures more
area than it needs to. He said that the net cost to
the town by adding small businesses is greater than
adding residential areas. He is not sure if this is
a wise use of this area out on Rt. 115.
Warren Turner was present, representing Scott Dugas
who lives in North Yarmouth but owns three parcels
on Rt. 115, one of which is a gravel pit. He said
that the Rural Residential Agricultural district would
become the Residential Medium Density under this proposal.
"This causes us concern because it does not include
a use for mineral extraction. Is this an intentional
omission or an accidental oversight? We certainly
hope it is the latter."
Mr. Cahill replied that it seemed to be an oversight
on the Council's part and when this gets back to Council
they may amend that.
Mr. Dugas commented that he attended ordinance Review
Committee meetings for two years in helping to draft
appropriate language for a fresh gravel pit ordinance
update, "And now you go and change the zone.
I am tired of fighting," Mr. Dugas said, and
he urged the Planning Board to relate to the Council
that this needs to be resolved.
Brad Pollard owns a golf course on Rt 100 north of
Gray Village. He asked, "The Ordinance review
Committee looked at the Village Center zone but not
the other zones. Why was that?"
Council Chair Pam Wilkinson was present and Planning
Board Chair Mr. Gellerson offered her a chance to
respond. "We had so many zones to do and the
ORC only meets one time a month, we thought that we'd
work together, otherwise it would take too long,"
she said.
Mr. Pollard said that the Comprehensive Plan Committee,
of which he was a member, had worked long and hard
and one exchange was where to encourage business.
He said that the idea was to have a mix of businesses
in and around the village center, where town services
exist. He said that the proposal to increase space
standards from 40,000 square feet to 80,000 square
feet in that area actually discourages business. "It
is my opinion that if you left the zone alone you
would get exactly what is happening now, a mix of
business and residential uses occurring normally where
they would want to be.
Jule McCale said that Gray can benefit from zoning
changes, but "not the zone I am in." She
questioned the motives behind it. She said it seemed
like it was a backdoor way of having an asphalt plant
put in, which are detrimental to the environment.
Other comments during the nearly three-hour meeting
were that the Council needs to address the horrific
traffic problems before encouraging more business,
that the Council is rushing the zone change process,
and proposals for nuisance noise limits in the RRA
need to be specified to a grater degree. This last
part was raised by farmer Dick Wood, who said that
the definition in the RRA regarding noise as a nuisance,
without further definition, could mean that when a
cow moos for its mother that a neighbor could consider
it a violation of the ordinance.
