BATH

The Bath City Council approved the purchase of cityowned property on Court Street by Mark Sewall for $15,000 at Wednesday night’s meeting.

The land, approximately 2,410 square feet, is located adjacent to Court Street and abuts Sewall-owned property at 137 Leeman Highway. The property was purchased for the purpose of site redevelopment.

Councilor Leverett “Tink” Mitchell expressed his support for the sale.

“I’m personally for it all the way; it is no burden on the city,” he said. “And it is a practice that is done quite frequently.”

After an executive session, the council approved the sale of real estate and came to the decision of $15,000 for the price of the property.

In other action, a public hearing took place for Bath Housing Authority’s application for $500,000 in housing assistance funds through the state’s Community Development Block Grant program.

The proposed project is to develop nine new housing units on a vacant site on Tarbox Street in Bath. The property has been owned by BHA since 1996.

In June 2005, subdivision approval was granted for twoand three-bedroom units, but the plans were never pursued.

Debora Keller, executive director of BHA since 2014, hoped to pick up the project this year, addressing the community’s need for more affordable housing.

“We see firsthand the extraordinary need for high-quality, affordable, efficient housing units in our community,” said Keller. “The demographics have shifted a little bit and what we are proposing with this new iteration of the Tarbox property is nine one-bedroom apartments because we are seeing decreasing family sizes and increase in need for these smaller households.”

Scott LaFlamme, director of community development, added that if the project is successful, Bath Housing Authority will proceed with all the regular planning board applications, which includes obtaining a subdivision amendment for the proposed changes to the project.

Keller added that the CDBG grant will be a critical factor of the funding package that will keep units affordable for potential residents.

Following the public hearing, city councilors approved the replacement of a chapter to the Floodplain Management Ordinance — Article 15, due to FEMA’s revised flood maps for the city.

The ordinance is required to be adopted before July, which is when the new maps will go into effect.

Andrew Deci, the city planner, cited some minor changes between the old and new text, prepared by the Maine Floodplain Management Program and adjusted by the planning board.

Deci encouraged the public to get in contact with Scott Davis, Bath’s code enforcement officer and floodplain manager, if residents were not aware how their property would be affected by the new maps.

He also reminded the public to seek out flood insurance before the end of July, due to the advantages of obtaining insurance before being placed in a floodplain.

dkim@timesrecord.com

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