The Town of Scarborough has several citizen-led boards and committees working on issues to enhance our community. Here are what some of the active boards and committees have been up to in the past few months. Find the full details on the Town of Scarborough website, shared in our latest Board & Committee Newsletter.
Long Range Planning Committee
The Long Range Planning Committee is supporting the Planning Department as they work on a long-term project that includes simplifying existing ordinances. They have also worked with the Planning department to propose updates to the Town’s landscape requirements in the Site Plan Review Ordinance. The proposed language for the landscape requirements section of the ordinance includes specifics on required landscaping, buffer requirements, and updates to the permitted species types with a focus on natives. The Committee’s work advances the priorities established in the Town’s 2021 Comprehensive Plan. The aim for their efforts is to simplify the Town’s ordinances so they are easier to understand for residents and businesses interested in coming to Scarborough.
Planning Board
The Planning Board has been busy with several projects. One is the approval of Allagash Brewing’s new tasting room at Scarborough Downs, which will be located off of Haigis Parkway on the newly constructed Market Street. The Board also approved the Town’s fourth utility-scale solar project, supporting more renewable energy in town. The 1.95 MW system will be located off of West Beech Ridge Road and includes decommissioning and revegetation plans at the end of the array life.
The Planning Board is moving to a once per month meeting schedule beginning January 2024. Moving to once per month instead of a rolling three-week cycle will provide staff and applicants additional time needed to hold a Development Review Committee (DRC) meeting to go over review comments together before they are forwarded to the Planning Board. The Planning Board meetings will be held on the third Monday of each month at 6:30pm in Council Chambers, unless otherwise stated.
Conservation Commission
The Conservation Commission has been focused on assisting the Planning Department with their ordinance consolidation process. They are developing environmental standards aimed at protecting the Town’s wetlands and streams, and will make recommendations to the Ordinance Committee, Planning Board, and the Town Council.
The Conservation Commission also successfully advocated for the creation of a Conservation Open Space Ad-Hoc Committee. The committee will help guide the creation of the Town’s upcoming conservation open space plan that was approved in the
FY2024 budget review
process. The plan will identify locations to create opportunities for small and large open space areas that could be used for passive park space, trail connections or other conservation.
Sustainability Committee
The Sustainability Committee is working to propose a dedicated funding stream to support sustainability projects in Scarborough, which the Finance Committee will consider in the new year. They are also working with the Planning Department to propose a new ordinance called Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE). The ordinance would allow commercial property owners to access special financing for energy efficiency upgrades. The committee hopes the Town Council will adopt the C-PACE ordinance in the coming months.
Transportation Committee
The Transportation Committee is preparing for the upcoming Townwide Transportation Network Study, approved in the FY2024 budget. Their focus has been on collecting resident comments associated with transportation-related concerns throughout town. They held a public Open House on Sept. 26 for public input and have also been mapping out pedestrian and bicycle routes throughout town to identify gaps in our network. The goal is for this study to provide direction and focus for the Town’s future capital spending related to traffic and transportation needs.
New Ad Hoc Community Center Committee
The new Ad Hoc Community Center committee formed this summer and had their first meeting on Sept. 14. It is comprised of three members from the 2018 Ad Hoc Community Center Committee, two members from the Community Services Advisory Board, four members at-large, two members of Town Council, one Board of Education member, and one member of the Scarborough Public Library. They are currently in an 8-week phase of seeking community input on programming and held an Activities Charrette on Dec. 7 to learn more from residents about what activities should be in each space of the future Center.
Learn More
Read the full Board & Committee Newsletter on the Town of Scarborough website. All meeting minutes and agendas can be accessed from the Boards & Committees page under the “Government” menu. This page also has a list of committee vacancies and an online application. Subscribe to the Town Newsletter for regular updates on what’s happening in Scarborough.
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