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Planning board reviews prior recommendations; questions remain on bird‑friendly standards and solar farm impacts
Summary
The Bangor City planning board reviewed implementation of past recommendations for two Stillwater projects and discussed wildlife and vegetation effects from a nearby solar farm, noting limits in enforcement for bird‑friendly building design without specific code standards.
Members of the Bangor City planning board reviewed how recommendations from prior project reviews were applied and discussed ecological effects at a recently built solar farm.
Planning board staff reported that for 416 Stillwater (a proposed co‑living project) the board's earlier recommendations produced several changes: the applicant revised plans related to dumpster stormwater, the planning board added a condition on exterior lighting but modified the wording to be more feasible, and the board made bird‑friendly building design a condition of approval. Staff noted an implementation challenge: the city currently lacks specific guidelines or specifications for bird‑friendly design in its code, which complicates enforcement. "We do anticipate having something in there about that when [we're] updating our land development code," a planning staff member said.
For 876 Stillwater (a Blue Seal Feeds site alteration), the planning board reported the applicant agreed to a condition to work with the wastewater department on the possibility of installing a floor drain in a greenhouse; staff said that condition was added at approval.
Separately, board members reviewed environmental observations at a large solar farm the board reviewed several years ago. Members said the installed fencing appeared to meet wildlife‑friendly requirements, but they were uncertain about whether the planting and vegetation strategies anticipated at approval were fully established. A planning board member reported monitoring bird use near the solar site and said grassland species that once nested in the area have not remained, while other species such as starlings have increased; members discussed possible outreach to the Bangor Land Trust and to the solar developer on wildlife observations and mowing regimes.
No new code changes or formal votes were taken at the meeting. Staff and members agreed to pursue clearer bird‑friendly design guidance as part of the land development code update and to follow up with developers where conditions of approval called for post‑construction measures.
