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Council Advances Drive‑Thru and Battery‑Storage Land‑Use Amendments to Second Reading
Summary
The Gardiner City Council approved first readings and moved two Land Use Ordinance amendments — one on allowing drive‑thrus in planned development areas and another adding battery energy storage and commercial data systems to the LUO — to a second reading, after staff described zoning, firefighting and design concerns.
At the Dec. 17 meeting, Code Enforcement Officer Chris McNeil briefed the council on two separate amendments to the city’s Land Use Ordinance.
On LUO section 7, McNeil said the change is “a 1 letter” edit in the use chart intended to permit drive‑thrus in a planned development (PD) zone where appropriate. He explained that drive‑thrus and restaurants are not allowed in most zones in Gardiner and that any new drive‑thru would still be reviewed by the Planning Board on a case‑by‑case basis to ensure ordinance compliance.
McNeil then outlined LUO section 10 changes to add battery energy storage systems and commercial data systems. He said battery storage and data centers raise similar zoning, firefighting and design considerations — they require stable power, decommissioning plans and attention to emergency‑service access — which is why staff created ordinance language to cover both uses rather than drafting a separate ordinance for data centers.
Councilors asked where such facilities would be sited; staff said industrial areas and business parks are the likely locations and noted that the use chart will be updated to make the intended siting explicit. Councillor Greenleaf moved to approve both first readings and advance the amendments to second reading; the motions were seconded and the council recorded unanimous votes to move both items forward.
Next steps: staff will provide the updated use chart and Harriman/planning materials at the second reading so the Planning Board and council can confirm permitted zones and any necessary safeguards for emergency access and decommissioning.
