Scaroborough’s Brian Longstaff was named Code Officer of the Year. Pictures from left are: award presenter Mark Stambach, outgoing president of MBOIA; Autumn Speer – Scarborough’s planning director; Longstaff’s wife Darlene and Brian Longstaff; and Tom Hall, Scarborough town manager. Courtesy photo/ Brian Longstaff
Brian Longstaff, serving as the Zoning Administrator/CFM/CEO/LPI, received the title of Code Officer of the Year from the Maine Building Officials and Inspectors Association. Longstaff’s dedication to his multifaceted role manifesting in impactful projects and collaborative problem-solving approaches, is among the reasons he was chosen for the honor.
“We are so pleased that Brian Longstaff was recognized as the Maine Building Officials and Inspectors Association Code Officer of the Year,” said Autumn Speer, Scarborough, communications manager. “This recognition is truly well deserved. Brian has been an integral part of the MBOIA organization and been in the land use administration and code enforcement industry for over 20 years.”
Speer said Longstaff has been with the Town of Scarborough for over 10 years and in his current role as the zoning administrator, “Brian balances the often-tough act of enforcing rules and regulations pertaining to development with tact and fairness. He has built many positive relationships within the community and is a valuable member of the Scarborough team.”
Among his accomplishments during Longstaff’s tenure as code officer was his proactive resolution of a conflict between state regulations local codes.
“I was made aware of a conflict between the Maine State guidelines for Shoreland Zoning, and most floodplain management ordinances,” Longstaff said. “The conflict concerned non-conforming buildings that needed to be elevated to conform with federal regulations imposed through municipal floodplain management ordinances, and the state’s limitation imposed on the height of non-conforming buildings.”
The conflict made it impossible to conform with both ordinances in certain situations, Longstaff said. “I contacted State Sen. Stacy Brenner and obtained her support for legislation that resolved the conflict by changing the way building height was defined in the Shoreland Zoning guidelines. I was able to participate in the drafting of that legislation and testified during the legislative committee hearings.” Actively participating in the legislative process, he testified during committee hearings, resulting in the successful implementation of changes in 2022.
Demonstrating adept problem-solving and collaboration, Longstaff addressed a persistent challenge within the Higgins Beach community. Noticing a surge in variance appeals, he pinpointed the issue, the incongruence of the town’s conventional zoning with the historic development patterns of the area.
“The problem was that the Town’s conventional zoning did not fit the historic pattern of development for that area, and in fact was creating more non-conformance that could only be resolved through variance requests,” Longstaff said. “I voiced this concern to the planning director, who in turn, with the assistance of consultants, implemented a new form-based method of zoning that reflected the historic development patterns and building characteristics that were quintessential to Higgins Beach.”
Remaining attuned to industry trends and evolving regulations is a cornerstone of effective code enforcement. Longstaff underscores the value of Maine’s certified code enforcement officer program and the Maine Building Officials and Inspectors Association (MBOIA) for providing essential training and updates on state-specific code changes and land use laws. This commitment ensures that Scarborough’s regulations align with current standards.
Acknowledging the challenge of effective communication, he said, “I do my best to communicate to the public, both verbally and in writing, and to make sure they let me know if they have any questions at any point.” Recognizing the inherent complexity of land use regulation and building codes, he said, “Land use regulation and building codes are not things that come naturally to all of us and the terminology is often very foreign to the average person. So it is a challenge to demystify all of that for people as best I can, but I place a high priority on education and information sharing as opposed to enforcement. If we as code officials do a good job at the former, we won’t need to do as much of the latter.”
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