The Bangor City Planning Board voted 5–1, with one member recused, on Oct. 21, 2025, to recommend the City Council approve a zoning map amendment changing 1009 Ohio Street (Map Lot R23013B) from Neighborhood Service District to Government and Institutional Service District to accommodate services proposed by Needlepoint Sanctuary.

The board’s recommendation follows more than an hour of testimony from the applicant, board members and more than a dozen public speakers. William Hurley, director of Needlepoint Sanctuary, told the board the organization plans “to create a recovery and harm reduction community center” at the Ohio Street site, providing recovery meetings, day-center services and, three times per week, harm-reduction services including sterile supplies to reduce disease and overdose risks.

The vote matters because the planning board’s decision is only a recommendation; the City Council has final zoning authority. Chair Rhys Perkins explained the next step: “The next step is it goes to the city council, for the city council to overturn an ought to pass that, we have presented to them. They have to have a 60% It's 2 thirds majority to overturn.”

Why it mattered: supporters said the change aligns with the 2022 Bangor Comprehensive Plan goal to “improve access to social and health services” and argued the site would help stem an ongoing HIV outbreak and rising hepatitis C cases connected to injection drug use. Amy Clark, a Bangor resident and longtime volunteer with people in recovery, told the board the zoning change “aligns with the city's stated goals” and cited federal evidence that syringe service programs reduce HIV and hepatitis transmission.

Opponents and the board’s deliberations: Member Ted Brush said he would vote no, calling the request spot zoning and urging the applicant to seek an alternative location that would not require a zone change. A legal question about perceived bias arose before the public hearing when Hurley asked that Member Justin Cartier recuse himself, citing public statements Cartier had made at a prior City Council meeting. Assistant solicitor Grama Innes described the legal standard for disqualification, saying an official is disqualified when there is “partiality or prejudgment so intense it prevents the official from making a fair and impartial decision,” and she referenced Pelkey v. Presque Isle as a case on point.

Cartier spoke at length about his reasons for previously opposing Needlepoint Sanctuary and about a personal loss he tied to the organization's activities; he then volunteered to recuse himself for this agenda item. The board allowed him to participate in the meeting as a member of the public but not in deliberations or the vote. The chair told the applicant the board could postpone to assemble a full seven-member panel, but the applicant affirmed they wished the board to proceed with six members present.

Public testimony: More than a dozen speakers addressed the board. Supporters included public-health professionals and volunteers with Needlepoint Sanctuary. Nurse practitioner Ellen Tarashi, who said she was working closely on the outbreak response, told the board that when the Ohio Street space briefly opened for about a week, “people were coming in kind of out of the woodwork” for testing and wound care and that having a stable brick-and-mortar site increased access to care. Several volunteers and volunteers-turned-staff described outreach, naloxone distribution and referrals to detox.

Opponents included candidates for local office and residents who urged treatment-focused approaches and faith-based outreach rather than providing sterile supplies. One speaker objected to distributing syringes, calling it “a band aid.” The board’s deliberation noted those competing viewpoints and the need to consider permitted uses in the proposed zone rather than the applicant’s single proposal.

Outcome and next steps: The planning board recorded the roll-call votes as follows: Michael Basinet — yes; Ted Brush — no; Tricia Hayes — yes; Ken Hume — yes; Janet Jonas — yes; Justin Cartier — recused (did not vote); Chair Rhys Perkins — yes. The board’s recommendation now goes to the City Council for final action.

Details provided to the board: The parcel was described in materials as approximately 0.42 acres, owned by Steven Bridal and Tina Bray. The applicant is Needlepoint Sanctuary. Staff reminded the board to evaluate the full range of potential uses allowed in the Government and Institutional Service District and whether those uses are consistent with the comprehensive plan, not only the activities described by the applicant.

What the board did not decide: The planning board made a recommendation only; it did not approve or certify any permits, nor did it change the zoning itself. Code enforcement, parking and site-access questions (including whether a curb cut or separate entrance would be required for some uses) were flagged as details for the applicant and staff to resolve later. The applicant acknowledged they had looked at other locations and said they chose Ohio Street because the standalone building and receptive landlord made it viable.

The matter will appear next before the City Council, where the council can accept or overturn the planning board’s “ought to pass” recommendation.