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Mount Desert planning board weighs clearer subdivision, nonconforming checklists and a flowchart for reviewers
Summary
Staff presented a consolidated subdivision application and proposed checklists for nonconforming structures; board members asked for clearer titles, a flowchart to guide reviewers through ordinance cross-references and better applicant orientation to avoid procedural confusion.
Planning staff presented a proposed subdivision application and a set of checklists designed to consolidate references to ordinance sections and help applicants and board members determine which review path applies.
The board and staff discussed edits to the draft forms, including changing titles to indicate when items apply to land-only subdivisions versus land-and-structure cases, clarifying where state-level triggers (for example, MDOT review for traffic) would apply, and adding guidance to avoid repeated flipping between ordinance subsections during review. Staff suggested the application itself could act as the navigation tool, directing reviewers to the specific subsections they must evaluate.
Board members recommended a short flowchart or orientation sheet that would allow members and applicants to see immediately whether the project is an expansion, relocation or reconstruction and which checklist items are required for each path. The board also explored creating separate checklists for reconstruction/replacement, relocation and other nonconforming scenarios where the ordinance forces reviewers to consult multiple subsections (e.g., 4.3.0.2, 4.3.0.5, 4.3.0.6, 4.5).
Chair William Manley and other members said the objective is to make hearings more efficient and to ensure motions and findings of fact can be supported by the record without ad-hoc narrative construction during meetings. Staff agreed to revise the draft application and consider a flowchart and clarified checklist titles for the next meeting.
