Biddeford’s City Council appears ready to approve a stripped-down Shoreland Zoning amendment, to the relief of environmental organizations and residents who had feared the city would remove restrictions on protected coastal property.
This amendment will not resolve all the inconsistencies in Biddeford’s Shoreland Zoning ordinance, but it has two important virtues: It updates Shoreland Zoning provisions to conform to state standards, and it does not open the door for development of environmentally sensitive sites, including some lots at the edge of Biddeford Pool.
The zoning measure has been debated for months. The City Council voted preliminary approval last week.
The original proposal raised objections because, to eliminate inconsistencies, it would have changed the current layout of Resource Protection and Limited Residential zones. It was widely believed by opponents that the proposed changes would allow new construction in areas that have been off-limits.
Representatives of land trusts and conservation organization were particularly concerned with the possibility of new development on Mile Stretch Road along Biddeford Pool ”“ described by Maine Audubon as “one of the richest intertidal resources in the state.”
On the other hand, planners were rightly concerned about serious inconsistencies in the city’s Shoreland map, with neighboring houses subject to entirely different regulations for no apparent reason. The original proposal was an attempt to bring consistency to the local rulebook.
The proposal endorsed by the council addresses the concerns of homeowners in the Resource Protection zone by several rule changes including one that allows them to build an accessory structure. The council had earlier relaxed the rules on expansion, allowing homeowners to expand the footprint and volume of their dwellings by up to 30 percent.
The City Council seems to be going for an untidy but reasonable compromise. Nonconforming houses in the Resource Protection Zone may expand but the existing boundaries between residential and protected districts in the Shoreland Zone remain the same.
Politics is the art of compromise, and we hope this can be a satisfactory solution for all sides.
— Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at nickc@journaltribune.com or City Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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