SUMMARY OF SUBSTANTIVE PROPOSED CHANGES TO
THE
BUILDING AND
LAND USE ORDINANCE
(Note: Page references based upon
revised ordinance dated May 12, 2004)
Page 10. Table of Land Uses. Line 21A. Specifically identifies Retail Business, Business and
Professional Offices and permits location of them in DZ and RAZ zones with
Planning Board approval.
.
Page 13. Non-Conforming Structure. If any portion of a structure does not meet
the dimensional requirements of the Building and Land Use Ordinance, that portion
of the structure shall not be expanded more than 30% in floor area or volume. Rationale: The present ordinance recognizes and defines
“non-conforming” lots. This addition
recognizes and defines “non-conforming” structures,
making this ordinance consistent with the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance.
Page 17.
Permit Application Fees. The
Selectmen recommend a change in the fee structure for building in Lamoine. The
proposed fee structure provides that :”Structures
designed for human habitation shall pay a permit fee of $0.10 (10 cents) per
square foot of the structure’s ground coverage (footprint).” “Structure not
designed for human habitation (i.e. garages, decks) shall pay a permit fee of
$0.05 (5 cents) per square foot of the structure’s ground coverage (footprint).”
“No fee shall be charged for additions or accessory structures less than 100
square feet.” The rationale is to structure
fees to more
closely relate them to the cost of oversight by the
Code Enforcement Officer.
SUBDIVISIONS
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Page 23. C.2. The following sentence is added to this section: “For proposed developments of more than 12
units or that will abut an existing subdivision in such a way that more than 12
units in total will be created, an additional 20,000 square feet per unit over
12 units must be provided for recreational and open space uses.” Contrary
to the intent of the present ordinance, one or more developers could interpret
it to create any number of contiguous 12 unit subdivisions with no provisions
for open space for common use. Rationale: That which is
proposed here guarantees adherence to the open space for common use concept.
Page 24. Section 12 D 2. Add item 2 to Section D as follows: “Any and all proposed amendments to an
already approved subdivision shall follow in full the application procedures
outlined in this section.” The rationale is to prevent a
developer from changing the conditions of an approved subdivision without
following the same application procedures used in securing original approval,
including a public hearing.
Page 28. F. g. The present ordinance states: “ width of pavements shall be two 9 foot traffic lanes and two 8 foot
parking and delivery lanes” – 34 feet in all. The proposed change reads: “Width of streets shall be two (2) ten foot traffic lanes and two
(2) four foot parking and delivery lanes – 28 feet in all. Rationale:
The present requirements are more than either safety or aesthetics require. The
proposed change is designed to address both safety and aesthetics.
Page 33.
Section 12 K. Change the wording from
“In subdivisions of 12 or more lots” to
“In subdivisions of more than 12 lots.” The
change increases by one lot, exemption from open space requirement
COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL USES
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Page 47, 16. There are
three proposed changes here. One increases
the size of signs permitted from 6 square feet to 16 square feet. An
additional sentence reads:” Placement of
signs on a premise must be approved by the Lamoine Road Commissioner or the
Maine Department of Transportation.” A final one adds the words: “including home occupations”. The first
is designed to be more realistic about the relationship between a sign and what
it is intended to do. (A 6 square foot sign for advertising is little better
than no sign at all.) The second is a matter of public safety. The third is to
make sign size uniform throughout
the town.
NEW SECTION
(#15) – JUNKYARDS & AUTOMOBILE GRAVEYARDS
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Page 48.
Section 15. Presently, Lamoine has
few meaningful tools with which to “regulate” the location and operation of
Junkyards and Automobile Graveyards. This new section provides the tools for
providing such regulation.
DEFINITIONS
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Page 50. Definitions. Aquifer. An added definition. “A geologic formation composed of rock or sand and gravel that stores
and transmits significant quantities of recoverable water, as identified by the
Bureau of Geology and Natural Areas, Maine Geological Survey with the
Department of Conservation.” This definition is derived from State of Maine
Statutes.
Page 51. Definitions. Building
Height. A new definition reads: “The
vertical distance between the highest point of the structure and the average
final grade around the foundation, or the average grade of the original ground
adjoining the building, whichever is greater.” The rationale is to
clarify how the height of a building is to be measured.
Page 56. Definitions. Groundwater: An added definition. “All water found beneath the surface of the ground. For purposes of
aquifer protection, this term refers to the slowly moving subsurface water
present in the aquifers and recharge areas.
Page 57. Definitions. Junkyard. “A yard, field
or other area used to store discarded, worn-out or junked plumbing, heating
supplies, household appliances, furniture, scrap or junked lumber, scrap copper,
brass, rope, rags, batteries, paper trash, rubber debris, waste, scrap iron,
steel, other scrap ferrous or nonferrous material and garbage dumps, waste
dumps and sanitary fills” This definition is derived from State of Maine
statues.
Page 59. Definitions. Net Acreage. The new definition reads: “The area of a lot or lots that is usable for determining allowable
densities after land not suitable for development (as defined in this
ordinance) has been subtracted from the total acreage.” The rationale is to clarify that
which constitutes net acreage for building.
Page 60. Definitions, Non-Conforming
Structure. This new definition reads:
A structure which does not meet any one
or more of the following dimensional requirements: setback, height or lot coverage,
but which is allowed solely because it was in lawful existence at the time this
Ordinance or subsequent amendments took effect.” Rationale: This definition is identical to that contained in
the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance, thereby making the two ordinances compatible.
Page 60. Definitions. Nuisance: New definition. “Any
property or use existing in violation of a municipal land use ordinance or
regulation.” This definition is derived form Maine State statues.