LIVERMORE — Voters on Tuesday, Nov. 8, will be asked to consider changes to the town’s Shoreland Zoning Ordinance during a special Town Meeting referendum vote. Voting will be held 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Spruce Mountain Primary School, 107 Gibbs Mill Road.
Selectpersons signed the warrant at the Oct. 25 meeting. The Planning Board has held the required public hearing on the amendments, Administrative Assistant Aaron Miller said Thursday, Oct. 27.
“Shall an ordinance entitled “Amendments to the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance for the Municipality of Livermore” be enacted?” the ballot question reads.
“Basically it allows more oversight for the Planning Board,” Miller said Tuesday. “It allows more sets of eyes on any proposals in the Shoreland Zoning district and it also brings us up to date.”
Selectperson Randy Ouellette asked if it was an existing ordinance or a new one.
“My understanding is the existing ordinance needed to be updated,” Miller noted.
“People have talked to me about it,” Ouellette said. Some thought the existing 250 foot frontage was going to be changed to 10 feet, he added.
“There is no change to that,” Miller stated. “The change is simply to allow more oversight when it comes to the permitting process.” Currently in the Town of Livermore you only have one set of eyes approving these permits, he noted. “The thought of the Planning Board was, considering the amount of shoreland zone we have – Livermore has quite a bit according to [Department of Environmental Protection], and other towns have done this as well – we should try to stay proactive when it comes the permitting process,” Miller said.
“They will come in for a building permit, the CEO will review it and pass it on to the Planning Board. The Planning Board would then review it, make sure that they are meeting the zoning requirements before a final decision. It not only protects the applicant but the town as well. If that set of eyes missed something and a permit was issued, something went up, somebody said “You are violating the height requirements or whatever” that would in turn cause quite a bit of turmoil for the town.”
The town’s ordinance follows state guidelines, Selectperson Scott Richmond said.
Copies of the ordinance and the proposed amendments are available at the Town Office/Fire Station Complex on the Crash Road.
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