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Select Board to allow event centers as conditional uses in commercial zones, debates parking and amplified-sound limits
Summary
The North Berwick Select Board tentatively agreed to allow event centers as conditional uses in commercial zones while keeping stricter limits in Farm and Forest and debated easing parking from 1:2 toward 1:4 and increasing permitted amplified-sound events to gather data.
The North Berwick Select Board on Jan. 27 moved to permit event centers as conditional uses (CUs) in commercial zones while retaining tighter restrictions for Farm and Forest areas and considered changes to parking and amplified-sound rules. The Board asked staff to send revised language to legal for review.
At public input, Charlie Desmond urged loosening parking requirements, saying he preferred “a 1 car per every 4 people ratio” instead of the proposed 1:2 standard and warning the stricter standard would force more tree clearing and larger footprints. Mark Reed, who said he had been conflicted about the provision, told the Board he now supports allowing CUs in commercial areas and is not opposed to the 1:4 parking ratio.
Board members and Planning Board representatives discussed safety and enforcement concerns. Matt LeConte and Dwayne Morin noted that inadequate on-site parking could create unsafe on-street parking and result in towing: the Planning Board favored written off-site parking and shuttle plans as a condition of approval and suggested those plans should explicitly exclude private business lots such as Hannaford. Jon Morse said a parking plan could include contracts for off-site parking plus shuttling.
The Board also debated amplified outdoor sound limits. Suggestions from the public and the Planning Board included time limits, a 50-decibel property-line cap, and setback requirements. Because decibel enforcement is complex, Dwayne proposed increasing the annual allowance for amplified-sound events under the tiered mass-gathering permit system from two to four events to collect data before further changes; the Board asked staff to draft revisions and send them to legal.
Members agreed to change the Land Use Table effective date from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2027, to give property owners more time to evaluate investment decisions. The Board signaled it would add Commercial zones to the list of areas eligible for new event-center structures but retain the restriction that only existing structures in Farm and Forest may be adapted for event-center use.
