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Ellsworth planning board discusses zoning rewrite, housing density and height limits as affordable-housing grant proceeds through council
Summary
The board reviewed phase-one changes to Chapter 56, focusing on minimum lot-size rules tied to service areas, aligning affordable-housing height limits with fire-department ladder reach, compliance timing under LD1829, and an affordable-housing CDBG grant request for a 36-unit Dan Black project that is delayed by appeals.
Ellsworth’s Planning Board spent much of its March 31 meeting reviewing phase-one policy items for a comprehensive Chapter 56 zoning rewrite, focusing on housing-density standards, maximum building heights for affordable housing and a council-backed CDBG grant request intended to make a 36-unit mixed affordable/market project financially viable.
City Planner Britney Merrill summarized the draft changes and asked the board whether to retain the existing minimum lot size in areas not served by public water and sewer; board members generally supported preserving existing minimums for unserved areas while pursuing revisions where infrastructure allows denser housing.
The board also discussed maximum-height limits and emergency access. Members noted the current local maximum (discussed in the transcript around 65 feet) effectively limits buildings to roughly five stories; staff and the fire code contact said sprinkler and other life-safety codes mitigate risks where ladder-truck reach is insufficient. Several members suggested phase-two work should consider different height rules for urban versus residential zones.
Merrill told the board the rewrite remains on a tight schedule: the planning board is expected to review final amendments in May and the council would consider adoption in June so the city complies with current law; she said legislators are nonetheless working on a “fix-it” bill for LD1829 that may push the compliance deadline to next summer, and staff are monitoring that bill’s workshops.
On housing projects, the planner updated the board that the council voted to pursue a Community Development Block Grant to support a 36-unit project associated with developer Dan Black; the project would include a mix of units affordable at 80% of area median income, units at 120% AMI and market-rate units, and the developer is expected to provide the grant match. The project’s progress remains constrained by appeals and a superior-court action stemming from a neighbor challenge, the planner said.
Outcome and next steps: The board endorsed the phase-one direction reflected in the workshop, asked staff to carry height and lot-size feedback into phase two, and will review revised ordinance language at the May meeting ahead of a planned June council adoption vote. The planner said she will continue stakeholder meetings and monitor LD1829.
