8984-R2_NewGloucester_2023-2024_AnnualReport_Web

2024 Ordinance Revisions: • Required changes to the Zoning Ordinance related to LD 2003 (Increased Housing Opportunities) • New FEMA floodplain ordinance (required for eligibility for flood insurance) • Amendments to Site Plan Eligible for Expedited Review (simplifying review process) Additionally, several Planning Board members attended the MMA Planning Board training in various locations in the State. This training helps Planning Board members, particularly new volunteers, to learn procedural, legal and ethical considerations while serving on the Board. Thank you to all who served: Daniel Ellingson, Eric Hargreaves, Donald Libby, Steven Libby, Douglas McAtee, Julie Tajonera, Ryan Tripp, and a special thanks to Jean Libby who “retired” from her many years of serving the Planning Board. Land Management Planning Committee (LMPC) During this time period, the LMPC spent the majority of their time in FY24 working on ordinance related to LD 2003, An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Commission to Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine. This statute had vast implications for the Town of New Gloucester and required revisions to several sections in the New Gloucester Zoning Ordinance. New Gloucester successfully passed the ordinance revisions needed to comply with the State statute. This would not have happened without the work of the LMPC. The committee continues its work and has a list of ordinance revisions that they will be working on in the future. The first order of business is to look at the entire list of current ordinances and determine if any of them are no longer needed, particularly those that are old or that are now regulated by the State and not the local municipality. The LMPC was also tasked with continuing work on the Upper Village. This includes revisiting the 2014 Master Plan, considering appropriate uses on the Town-owned parcels, and determining if additional ordinance amendments are needed to realize the vision that the citizens endorsed as part of the master planning process. Thank you to all who served: Belinda Desmond, Terry DeWan, Karen Gilles, Mike Joyce, Connie Justice, Donald Libby, Nick Planson, Brian Shedlarski, and Elizabeth Splane.

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