Bangor Planning Board approves Grandview Avenue findings, discusses chicken regulations

[0:29] Janet Sanborn Jonas: Good evening and welcome to the applicants, staff, board members, and members of the public. This is the August 4th, 2026 meeting of the City of Bangor's Planning Board. It is 7 o'clock. My name is Janet Jonas and I serve as vice chair of the board. Board members are volunteers from the Bangor community. Other board members and attendants this evening are Ted Brush, Rush, Tricia Hayes, Greg Hobson, Ken Hume by Zoom, Vice Chair Janet Jonas, that's me, Ross Whitford, and Chair John Boucher is also on Zoom. City staff members in attendance this evening include Planning Officer Anya Collette, Assistant Solicitors Grace Innes, and Planning Analyst Matthew Valtiero. We thank them all for their help in preparation for this meeting. the first order of business is the old business we have in our packets the meeting minutes for the july 21st 2026 meeting we board members should vote only if they attended that meeting so the first question is are there any modifications or comments i had one comment and hold on just a second let me counselor leonard's name is spelled wrong in one of the places i it's paragraph four and then i don't remember which section but okay well then we will hearing no other modifications or comments we'll need a motion and a second. [2:08] Greg Hobson: Chair, remember Hobson, I'd like to make a motion that we accept the meeting minutes of the July 21st, 2026 meeting as written. Thank you. Do you mean as amended? As amended, thank you. [2:19] Janet Sanborn Jonas: Second from member Brush. Roll call vote. Member Brush, yes. Chair Boucher, yes. Member Hayes, oh that's right, sorry, I didn't, I'm sorry, thank you. Member Hobson, yes. Member Hewn, yes. Remember Whitford, yes. And I vote yes as well. So that moves us on to the next item. Are we the adoption of finding and decisions for the Grandview Avenue project? Is there any discussion regarding that meeting or that? Okay then we need a motion, a second, and we'll do a roll call vote. Remember Brush, I move that we approve the Grandview Avenue development [3:17] Greg Hobson: permit. Thank you member Brush. Do we have a sec? Oh go ahead. I would phrase that as the findings and decisions for the land development permit. I'm sorry, say it again please. I move that we adopt [3:33] Janet Sanborn Jonas: The finding decisions for the Grand View Avenue project. Thank you. Do we have a second? Thank you, Mr. Member Hobson. Okay, we'll do a roll call vote. Member Brush? Yes. Chair Boucher? Yes. Number Hobson? Yes. Number? Yes. Number Whitford? Yes. And the vice chair votes yes. Do we have any other old business that we need to cover. Okay, great. Okay, here's the spiel. So for WANDA new business, for everybody who's watching, listening, the planning board has two main roles. First, we review amendments to the land development code, which typically include either changes to zoning districts or changes to text within the code. Secondly, the board serves as the regulatory authority for land development permits, commonly known as site plan review. Further information on the city's codes and standards and the comprehensive plan may be found on the city's website. There are no amendments or land development permits tonight on tonight's agenda, which moves us on to other business. Our first item is our discussion on [4:40] Greg Hobson: chickens lining up circle it. Yeah, so we took this to the business and development committee meeting last night as well to talk to counselors about it, but basically as we've been reviewing the new land development code, the policy question of how to deal with chicken keeping has come up because obviously one, there's a new state law out that requires that municipalities can't adopt an ordinance prohibiting chicken keeping from residential zones. Also, it's a very contentious issue, so basically because we will be overhauling the land development code and changing everything, we have to allow them with guardrails. We can set guardrails. So our question to Council was, Should we set a minimum lot size for chickens? And staff discussed and thought one acre might make sense that would kind of functionally exclude them from the urban area. But you know we just thought for mainly because of the issues with rats, odors, public health issues that one acre would be best. However, in talking with the consultants, typically other communities these days aren't doing minimum lot sizes anymore for chickens. They're just doing setbacks and other things to address the nuisance issues. So, you know, we kind of put that out there as a question, and we also had included in the memo, you know, some regulations from other communities. And some communities, like Auburn and Portland, limit you to number of hens and maybe depending on the lot size. I think council was good with that approach, and we, they did want us to reach out to some of these communities to figure out how they got to those numbers, like how do you get to determine, you know, six is a good number of hens to limit on a lot. So we're looking into that. And also they mentioned they wanted us to spell out like addressing multi-units, whether or not chickens would be allowed for multi-units or somebody would just have to get the approval of all the tenants plus the landlord. I think that might be a good approach so that everyone's on board. But yeah, there are, you know, there are ways to, that we have proposed in the code to address the rat issue, like when they construct the coop, you know, burying hardware cloth underneath and things like that, and then, you know, the language would say it has to be kept free of vermin, which if a neighbor reports rat issues and they think it's coming from the chicken coop, I think code enforcement could go out and inspect and see if that's the case. So I'm happy to hear any other thoughts that you all have members. Do we dislike roosters because they make noise? Yeah, I think that's the main issue with roosters. So is there any requirement thought about for registering? Does that make sense that there's awareness? Yeah, you would have to get a certificate of occupancy to have a chicken coop, and that would require inspection by both code enforcement and the animal control. So okay, yeah, what would accuse require building permits? No, I don't think so, that's why we just said certificate of occupancy so there's some kind of system. Yeah, other [8:39] Janet Sanborn Jonas: questions? Well, I actually talked to my friend who owned chickens because that was one of the recommendations that council made, was that maybe we ought to talk to some people that own chickens, and they're not here in this location, but they've had chickens for a really long time, and they do live in a pretty suburban area, and they read through and thought that it was a really well thought out proposal for the first wrap, and the term that they used was very reasonable to follow, which I thought was Pretty good. Really liked the provisions for trying to keep predators and vermin out by burying the fencing, the hardware cloth, and adding the motion lights. And a little bit of input though that they shared. Sorry I am ran out of time, I was writing it down. Was in the winter time people often heat their coops somehow, so we might want to include some kind of provision to be sure that it's electrically safe. But I suppose when code enforcement does an inspection, yeah that. But anyway that was that. Was and then the recommendation was there might want to be language to ensure proper use to prevent fires. And then they were really surprised by the number of chickens that Auburn allows because 36 hens is a lot of eggs and a lot of manure and also the recommendation that they if we if we don't want to limit the lot size they recommend limiting the number of hens to even four or four per I don't know half acre square foot or something because yeah because and then definitely no roosters. Was the final input so yeah although. [10:37] Greg Hobson: I've also had chickens yeah I will say the hens can make just as much noise that's what she that. [10:41] Janet Sanborn Jonas: That's why she said that many hands is a lot of noise a lot of a lot of noise yeah. [10:46] Greg Hobson: A lot of manure so yeah okay those are good suggestions. I think too with the electrical we can say you know if electrical is run to the chicken coop it has to meet the National electric code and things like that. [11:05] Janet Sanborn Jonas: I have a question if I can chime in. Are there any other thoughts about different types of domestic birds? Talk about chickens, but what about ducks or quail or guinea fowl or any of these things? [11:24] Greg Hobson: Those would still be limited to our RNA and to lots at least one and a half acres. Quails that's the one i was trying to think of and grace can chime in but we talked about it with her in code and we felt like the intent of the law was really for chickens to allow those in residential so we felt like it would be okay having others be limited to our rna great. [11:59] Janet Sanborn Jonas: Any more comment on chickens questions great next item we will need to sign an old subdivision plan for property on fairways so we don't need to debate that it doesn't need to be it was passed in 2018 but it was never recorded so therefore it needs to be signed currently and so that they can record it so we can do that tonight since there are four of us here. Any thoughts on land development code update and land use planning we did send. [12:34] Greg Hobson: Our staff comments to the consultants at the end of last week. Oh fantastic. So we are going to start looking at the map. They're looking over our comments, and then we're going to have some review sessions, and we also have to look at the shoreland zone because I think that's kind of needs some work in some areas. But so that'll take up most of the next month, and I don't know how long it will take the consultants to actually revise the code based on what we have, but I'm gonna try to move them along. As quick as I can, so yeah, great, yeah. [13:11] Janet Sanborn Jonas: Anybody else? How about you fellas on Zoom? Any more thoughts on land development code? No, not for me. Great. Not for me either. Okay, any other comments, questions? I just want to express my appreciation to Kaylee for succinctly distilling the contents of the last meeting in the minutes. Please pass that on to her because she did a fine job in what was a very long meeting, yeah. [13:44] Greg Hobson: Yeah, I appreciate that. [13:48] Janet Sanborn Jonas: And just a reminder that we have to sign the documents that are over there. And other than that, meeting is adjourned. I need a motion to adjourn? No. OK.