Ordinance review committee discusses draft application and review standards, sets timeline for adoption

The Bridgton Ordinance Review Committee met April 1 to examine first drafts of the town’s application review procedures and general review standards and to set a timetable for updating the town ordinance.

Committee members spent the bulk of the meeting clarifying language on permit suspension and revocation and on who may grant extensions. Members agreed the draft permit-suspension language (section 1.2D) should allow the town to revoke an issued permit if the approved work violates the ordinance or if construction occurs in a different, unapproved location. The committee discussed inspections by staff (referred to in the meeting as Lindsay’s role) as a likely trigger for revocation when work departs from approved plans.

The committee also debated a provision that allows a single extension of up to one additional year on written request and whether the ordinance should explicitly assign extension authority to the Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) for building and CEO permits and to the planning board for conditional use permits. Members agreed to spell out separate CEO and planning board extension procedures in the draft to reduce ambiguity.

Several participants flagged inconsistent timing language across sections — for example, whether deadlines are measured in business days or calendar days — and asked Meredith and legal counsel to standardize timing and definitions. The committee noted that the board of appeals process references a requirement to record variances in the county registry of deeds and agreed to clarify that recording requirement in the written decision section.

On notifications, members discussed whether to specify an abutter-notice radius (suggestions included 250 feet versus 500 feet) and concluded the ordinance should avoid repetitive language by relying on a single notifications section and attorney guidance rather than repeating detailed notice rules in several places.

Committee members reviewed the proposed chapter order for the new ordinance and agreed it would be clearer to group administration, application procedures, and general review standards together near the front, then follow with district and topic-specific chapters. The committee acknowledged the stream protection chapter currently exists only as a title and that substantive language will need to be developed; a legislative bulletin and guidance from the Main Office of Community Affairs were cited as reference materials that the chair will circulate before the next meeting.

A committee member said the town applied for and received a $15,000 grant from the Main Office of Community Affairs to help pay for committee work and limited volunteer compensation tied to ordinance drafting and adoption. Members were asked to track hours to enable reimbursement under the grant.

The committee discussed adoption timing and external review requirements. Members were told changes that bring the town into compliance must be adopted by July 1, 2027, and that certain filings to the Main Office of Community Affairs should be submitted about 30 days before a public hearing. To target a June 27 town meeting adoption, the committee estimated it would need to complete most drafting by mid-February to allow for required notices and review.

The committee agreed to distribute a consolidated packet, bring the administration chapter and the two draft standards to the select board for incremental review, and then schedule a workshop with one or two committee representatives to walk the select board through the proposed changes. The committee set its next meeting for Wednesday, May 6.

At the meeting’s close, a motion to adjourn was made and seconded; the meeting was adjourned.