Kennebunkport residents will have board term limits on the local ballot on Election Day.
Board term limits would allow appeals, planning and assessment board members to hold office for three consecutive terms. Those people would then need to take a break before serving again.
Term limits are intended to allow more people the chance to serve on municipal board and committees, and because the limits allow for people to return after taking a break, not much harm is done from such rules. Allowing the chance for others to run should keep boards from being monopolized by the same people and should allow for more diversity on those boards as well.
Also in Kennebunkport, voters will decide whether to make changes to growth management permits, the definition of “dwelling,” if site plan applications should require digital plan submissions, and whether to allocate $325,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department’s garage roof.
Most of the changes are benign and include updating and streamlining of language for land use issues. The growth permit changes would allow subdivision owners to receive more than seven growth permits in one year if there are permits not allocated by December. The town allows 40 growth permits per year, according to Kennebunkport Town Manager Larry Mead. The change would also provide the opportunity for residential homeowners to do the same, he said.
These changes seem like a good move to allow for development when permits are sought while keeping in line with the town’s growth plan.
The highway garage roof replacement will cost a total of $400,000 with $75,000 to be funded from previous appropriations and state grants. An inadequate roof can lead to all kinds of issues and major damage to the building’s structure. Investing now will ensure the building is used for as long as possible before replacement is needed.
Kennebunk questions will align comp plan, ordinances
Kennebunk voters will have four questions before them, all seeking changes to the comprehensive plan.
The first would give the town authority to alter the chronological order of areas in which its allowed to expand; the second and third would change West Kennebunk’s zoning map boundaries and expand West Kennebunk Village’s residential zone; and the fourth would add density bonuses for construction companies to encourage designs that would benefit the public, according to Kennebunk Town Planner Judith Bernstein.
The town has a growth plan to keep development areas on public sewer and water and to minimize impact to open space. Adding density bonuses is an incentive for developers to conserve more space or dedicate areas to recreation for the public, in keeping with the town’s plan for expansion. Developers can also get density bonuses for energy efficient plans.
The other changes in West Kennebunk would put the entire Middle School of the Kennebunks’ lot in the residential zone, and expand the West Kennebunk Village residential zone from MSK on Thompson Road to just before the intersection of Alewive and Downing roads. The area is currently a rural zone.
All of these changes are intended to improve the comprehensive plan and bring the ordinances in line with the town’s plans for future growth. Continuing to improve on these plans will ensure that growth happens in a way that is most beneficial to the town.
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Today’s editorial was written by City Editor Robyn Burnham on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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