BELFAST — The Belfast City Council will hold its regularly scheduled public meeting Tuesday evening, Aug. 15, at 7 p.m., to address topics including a breakwater sedimentation study, the approval of a number of purchases for the Public Works Department, downtown handicap accessibility, a possible short term rental registry, a revised airport overlay district and a potential 48-lot subdivision.

The meeting will be preceded by a 6 p.m. workshop of the Council and the Housing and Property Development Committee. Both meetings will be held at Belfast City Hall.

The Council meeting can be watched via live stream at cityofbelfast.org.

Subdivision

The Council will consider a road and infrastructure adoption as well as a gift of 35 acres in association with a proposed subdivision. 

According to the Belfast City Manager Erin Herbig’s pre-meeting report, B&B Midcoast Properties LLC, a real estate development company formed by Ben Hooper and Brad Lindelof, has purchased the 100 acre property at 68 Little River Drive, which was formerly owned by Waldo County.

Hooper and Lindelof are proposing a 48-lot residential subdivision at the location. 

The proposed subdivision would include the construction of new 20-foot-wide roads with a public sewer, public water, and electrical service to accommodate residential development.

Hooper and Lindelof are also proposing the construction of a stormwater collection system, which would consist of underdrain soil filters, buffers, and wet ponds, designed to meet the applicable City and State standards.

Belfast’s Planning Board is reviewing the subdivision, which is described as a cluster development with 35 percent of the initial site set aside as open space. The 35-acre open space includes an area that the Little River Trail passes through. 

The developers are offering to donate the 35 acres to the city. They are also asking for approval from the city to take ownership of the roads and stormwater containment system, once all complete.

Additional information regarding this proposal is available to view in Herbig’s full pre-meeting report.

In other City business

A public hearing will be held Tuesday evening for a proposed new airport overlay district that would prohibit hew dwellings and other uses that may conflict with airport operations. The amendment would establish an area at both ends of the airport runway where conflicting uses, including new dwellings, would be be permitted. The amendment would also open other areas in the current Airport Growth district to be rezoned by expanding adjacent zoning districts.

“The proposal aims to increase housing opportunities and ensure that ongoing airport operations do not conflict with new uses,” said Herbig.

The Belfast City Council approved an application for a Maine Shore and Harbor Planning Grant May 16 to have a sedimentation study completed, according to Belfast City Manager Erin Herbig’s pre-meeting report.

The study is expected to assist the City in establishing the best design for a proposed breakwater project. The Shore and Harbor Planning Grant of $50,000 was accepted by the Council July 18, with matching funds of $5,000 (10 percent) to come from the ENK Fund. Staff were authorized to send out a request for quotes to find a contractor for the project. The quote request submission deadline was Aug. 11. 

City officials were notified July 10 that the Shore and Harbor Planning Grant Review Committee recommended full funding for the ‘City of Belfast Sedimentation Study for Breakwater Improvements Project, according to Herbig’s pre-meeting report. 

The Harbor Master will be in attendance at the meeting to answer questions. 

Public Works Director Bob Richards submitted a number of requests for approval of the purchase of new equipment, including a dump boy, subframe, and hoist; a sander for the trackless MT salt/sander attachment; an asphalt hot box; a cross conveyor; and a new truck for the department.

Of the numerous requests, the “new” truck is the costliest of the bunch, at $53,000, for a 2019 Chevy Silverado 3500 HD truck with a rack body. The cost of the new truck was discussed and budgeted for in the fiscal year 2023-2024 City of Belfast Budget, according to the report.

The funds for all of the requested items would come from the Public Works Purchase Equipment fund, which has a current balance of $133,200. 

Director Richards will attend the meeting to answer any questions. 

Later in the meeting a discussion regarding the fiscal year 2023-2024 City of Belfast Handicap Accessibility Projects; something first touched on at the June 20, Council meeting. At that meeting, Belfast residents Aynne Ames and Neva Allen presented a list of proposed handicap accessibility projects in Belfast. At that time Ames and Allen reportedly provided an estimated cost of $25,000 for the projects. 

Some of the areas in need of improvement include creating ramps onto the various sidewalks in the downtown area, in addition to adding more handicap parking places in the first spot of the respective business. 

Also featured on Herbig’s agenda is a presentation on the proposed ordinance amendments regarding a short-term rental registry. The idea for a short-term rental registry came about after the Council instructed City staff to look for ways to address the housing shortage in Belfast.

The STR registry was determined to be a good first step of a larger strategy aimed at increasing housing opportunities inside the bypass, according to Herbig’s report. 

The proposed registry would require residential dwelling units rented for less than 30 days to be registered with the city.

The goal of the registry is to have a better understanding of how short-term rentals are affecting our community and to collect accurate data. No City action is needed for this agenda item, Herbig noted in her report, this will be a presentation regarding the proposed amendments. 

City Planner John Boynton will be at the meeting to further explain and answer any questions. 

More information regarding the proposed amendment and creation of a short-term registry is available in Herbig’s full pre-meeting report. 

Following the presentation another discussion will take place, followed by possible Council action. 

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com