A view of the Saco River between Saco and Biddeford, as seen in February. LIZ GOTTHELF/Journal Tribune
SACO — The Saco River Corridor Commission will review and respond to input from the public before it makes any decisions on proposed rule changes.
The commission administers the Saco River Corridor Act, which was established by the state Legislature in 1973. The commission meets monthly and helps oversee land use development along the Saco River as well as the Ossipee and Little Ossipee rivers, the Little Ossipee Flowage, and Balch Lake. The commission is comprised of two members — one regular and one alternate — from each of the 20 municipalities along these waters.
The commission has proposed changes in the regulations, including a provision that would allow the further construction of the RiverWalk, a walking path on both sides of the river in Saco and Biddeford. A plan to expand the riverside trail would not conform to current regulations under the commission’s ruling.
Other changes the commission is considering would make changes in rules regarding the replacement of non-conforming structures along the river.
Construction along the river must meet certain setback requirements under the regulations governed by the Saco River Corridor Commission. However, there are buildings along the river that were constructed before the act was formed that do not meet current standards.
Existing buildings along the Saco River that do not conform to setback requirements established by the Corridor Act are currently allowed a one-time, 30 percent expansion, as long as the addition does not increase the building’s non-conformity.
Currently, there is no standard in place to allow for reconstruction or replacement of existing non-conforming structures. Property owners who have a non-conforming structure and wish to replace it must present testimony to the commission and go through the process to obtain a hardship variance.
A change in the regulations proposed by the commission would allow the owner of a non-conforming structure along the riverside to reconstruct or replace the building without a hardship variance as long as certain criteria were met.
The proposed criteria the states the new building could be 30 percent bigger than the original building, but would not be allowed to exceed the height of the non-conforming structure it is replacing. Also, the new structure must not be any more non-conforming than the original structure, and must be pushed back to meet frontage and setback requirements to the greatest practical extent. If the building can be relocated to meet frontage and setback requirements, then no portion of the new structure may exceed the required frontage and setback criteria.
The proposed change regarding the replacement of non-conforming structures would, if approved, be applied in all areas along the corridor.
The commission held a public hearing in Dayton on the proposed changes on March 5 and accepted public comment through March 15.
The commission received about eight written comments on the proposed changes from both municipal officials and community members, Saco River Corridor Commission Director Dalyn Houser said.
“They were all very well thought out,” she said.
A sub-committee of the commission will review the public feedback and the commission will be responding to all the comments with a written response, Houser said.
The commission will most likely vote on the proposed changes at its 7 p.m. meeting on May 22 at Dayton Town Hall, she said.
Any changes approved by the commission will then go to the State Attorney General’s Office for final approval.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be reached at 780-9015 or by email at egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
