Bob Bittar is appealing the two decisions against him regarding his property on 26 Mill Stream Road in Readfield, where he lived and held a series of free concerts this summer.
Bittar, who also has homes in Monmouth, is appealing the Readfield code enforcement officer’s revoking of a single-family occupancy permit and the Planning Board’s Oct. 4 recommendation against rezoning Bittar’s two parcels from rural residential to rural.
In a separate vote on Oct. 29, the Readfield Select Board in a 5-0 vote rejected putting Bittar’s rezoning petition out to the voters at the polls.
The Appeals Board hearing, which is open to the public, is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Town Office.
Bittar, 78, has long sought permission to offer music at the site, submitting an application to the Planning Board at one point for permission to operate a town event and community center. He later withdrew that application after some neighbors and other residents voiced opposition March 1 at a public hearing.
In a timeline regarding Bittar’s property drafted by Readfield Town Manager Eric Dyer, the first entry is a stop-work order dated Dec. 3, 2013, issued because Bittar was making structural changes to the building, a former textile mill, that exceeded normal repair and maintenance.
The timeline also notes that Bittar signed a consent agreement in July 2017 agreeing that the building would be used only as a single-family dwelling, with any change of use to be reviewed and permitted by the Readfield Planning Board..
Bittar said Friday he’s hopeful that some resolution can be reached within the law and existing town ordinances that would allow him to operate a cultural events center.
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