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Kittery committee advances work on Coastal Hazard Overlay affecting roughly 840 properties
Summary
The Kittery Climate Action Committee continued outreach on a proposed Coastal Hazard Overlay zoning and discussed ordinance language, reporting that about 840 properties fall in the proposed zone and roughly 120 structures would be subject to the ordinance; next steps include a Jan. 8 workshop and Planning Board and Town Council hearings.
The Kittery Climate Action Committee on Jan. 6 continued outreach on a proposed Coastal Hazard Overlay that staff said would cover roughly 840 properties in town and affect about 120 structures.
Committee members described outreach over the past six months with about 50 residents and said staff have prepared a GIS layer residents can use to check whether their property falls inside the proposed zone. Members noted roughly 30 properties within the proposed zone were not mapped in the FEMA flood zone.
Committee discussion focused on specific ordinance language. Members said the draft currently exempts repairs following natural disasters and recommended removing that exemption; they also discussed a recommended prohibition on fill in coastal hazard areas while allowing a net gain of fill for structural purposes when necessary. Members emphasized that the ordinance should be consistent with FEMA and the town'0s flood-plain management requirements and said the goal should be to promote living shorelines rather than hardening the coastline.
Staff outlined the next procedural steps: a workshop with the Climate Committee, Planning Board and Town Council scheduled Jan. 8, a Planning Board public hearing expected in February, and a subsequent Town Council public hearing and vote required for formal adoption of the zone.
No formal vote on the ordinance was taken at the Jan. 6 meeting; committee members indicated further review and public engagement will continue before any formal action is scheduled.
