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Neighbors seek moratorium and more study after planning board findsAnchor Inn campground application complete
Summary
Residents voiced strong opposition at a council public hearing to a proposed 28-site RV campground on Bayside Road, citing conflicts with the comprehensive plan, traffic and safety concerns, groundwater/wells, incomplete technical data at planning-board review, and requested a temporary moratorium while ordinance updates proceed.
Numerous residents asked the Ellsworth City Council to pause review of a proposed 28-site recreational-vehicle campground at 566 Bayside Road and to consider a temporary moratorium on campground approvals in rural zones until local ordinances are revised to reflect the recently adopted comprehensive plan.
City planner Britney Merrill explained the project was submitted as a major use site development plan, had completed the planning board's initial completeness review, and the applicant has up to six months to submit final materials for a planning-board decision. Multiple neighbors told the council the application was incomplete when heard by the planning board: they said groundwater and well-impact studies, civil-engineering capacity analyses, lighting and traffic detail, long-term maintenance plans, and clarification of site-clearing limits were missing or deferred.
Speakers from Elton Avenue, Alton Avenue and nearby subdivisions described the neighborhood as low-density rural residential and said the project would place an intensive transient commercial use directly behind dozens of homes. Concerns included increased heavy-vehicle traffic on narrow Bayside Road, safety and evacuation in case of fire, night-time lighting and noise, the adequacy of on-site water and septic systems for RV hookups, and whether the campground ordinance provides protections for abutting residents comparable to other land uses. Several residents repeatedly asked the council to place a temporary moratorium on campground approvals in rural zones while the city finishes ordinance Phase 2 and aligns regulations with the comprehensive plan.
Councilors noted the moratorium statute (Title 30-A) requires a showing of necessity and a definite term (up to 180 days with possible extensions) and said any councilor could propose one. Staff noted the applicant did not submit materials in time for the August planning board and the next planning-board action would be the September meeting when the board may ask for additional submissions or make a decision.
No formal council action was taken that evening. Council members encouraged residents to submit written questions and evidence to planning staff, attend the planning-board site visit and the September board meeting, and participate in the city's upcoming ordinance updates. Council asked staff to consider reconvening the comprehensive-plan steering committee to assist ordinance Phase 2 and to explore whether conservation experts or additional technical review should be required for similar applications.
