Bangor Planning Board recommends state-mandated zoning changes

[0:59] Jonathan Boucher: Hi, Janet. Can you confirm that you can hear us? We just want to test the audio before we get [1:03] Janet Sanborn Jonas: started. Sure, I can hear you. Can you hear me? Yep, you sound great. Perfect. I had issues earlier today, so thank you. [1:56] Jonathan Boucher: Good evening and welcome to the staff and board members and members of the public. This is the April 7, 2026 meeting, the City of Bangor Planning Board. Board. It is 7 o'clock. My name is Jonathan Boucher. I'm the chair of the board. Board members are volunteers from the Bangor community. Other board members in attendance this evening include Ted Brush, Tricia Hayes, Greg Hobson, Ken Huynh, Vice Chair Janet Jonas joining remotely, Ross Woodford, and absent is Justin Cartier, our alternate member. City staff members in attendance this evening include Planning Officer Anya Collette, Assistant Solicitor Grace Innes, and we have Planning Analyst Matthew Altiero. We thank them all for their help in preparation for this meeting. We're going to start with old business tonight and that includes the review of the meeting minutes from the March 17, 2026 meeting. Are there any modifications or comments? Is there a motion? Thank you. It was okay, so good, and a second from member Hyun, and so we'll do a roll call vote, and member Brush, remember Hayes, yes, remember Hobson, yes, remember Hyun, yes, remember Jonas, yes, for Whitford, yes, and the chair votes yes. So our next item is the adoption of findings for 41 Kittredge Road and 2645 Broadway. Would like to see if there's any discussion or if there's a motion to adopt the findings. Do we have a motion, Amber Brush? Mr. Chair, I move that [3:55] Kenneth Huhn: we approve the adoption and findings of the decision for 141 Kittredge Road and 2645 Broadway. [4:04] Jonathan Boucher: Thank you. Do we have a second? I'll second, member Hobson, and a roll call vote. Member Brush, yes. Member Hayes, yes. Member Hobson, yes. Member Huynh, yes. Member Jonas, yes. Member Woodford, yes, and the chair votes yes. Our next item is we're moving on to new business, and we have just one item on for new business tonight, but I'll still read through our process that the Planning Board has two main roles. First, that we review amendments of the land development code, which typically include either changes to Zoning districts or changes to the text within the code. Our review of these amendments includes adherence to the comprehensive plan, as well as considering any applicable concerns from the public. Our vote on these items is in the form of a recommendation to the City Council as to whether the item ought to pass or ought not to pass. The City Council makes the final decision on zoning and land development code changes, and there's one item on the agenda this evening that is a land development and development code change. Secondly, the board serves as a regulatory authority for land development permits, commonly known as site plan review, but there are no land development permits on tonight's agenda. Further information on the city's codes and standards and the comprehensive plan may be found on the city's website. For the items, for the item that we're going to be reviewing today, if it was a land development permit, we would first have to consider and vote on the applicant's readiness for review, but for this item tonight with the applicant, or in this case the staff, is going to come to come to the podium or present from where they are and give a brief introduction of the proposal, and then they should, they'll be available for us to ask any questions and to review with the board. And then once the item has been presented, the applicant may be seated, and we will allow time for public comment. For public comment, the person should come to the podium, introduce themselves, state if they're a Bangor resident and or an abutter to the property if it's applicable, and indicate if therefore against the proposal. It's also helpful if you present your thoughts based upon the city codes and standards and the comprehensive plan is these are the primary documents used by the board to make our decision. All comments and discussions should remain respectful and considerate of others, and once public comments are completed, we will close the item to public comment and the board will then deliberate on the proposal using the applicable standards. For clarity with when considering land development proposals, the code standards are typically read and voted on separately, and the final decision is then read on and voted on. The applicant disagrees with the land development permit decision that the board has made, then they may appeal the decision to the spirit court of Maine. Once a project that you are interested in has been reviewed, you may leave the meeting, but please be respectfully quiet as Not to disturb review of other agenda items, so our item tonight is the amending of the Land Development Code, section 165-13, definitions, 165-31.2, accessory dwelling units, 165-72, required number of spaces, 165.73, parking area location and screening, 165-80, water and sewerage, 165-88, Urban Residence One District, URD 1, 165-89, Urban Residence 2 District, URD 2, 165-90, Multifamily and Service District, MNSD, 165-91, Neighborhood Service District, NSD, 165-92, Urban Service District, USD, 165-111, Site Developments Requiring Permit, and Article 21, Affordable Housing Density Bonus, all of which should comply with the requirements of the State of Maine laws known as LD 1829, 427, and 997. So Anya, would you be presenting? Yeah, so I'm not [8:13] Janet Sanborn Jonas: really going to present too much detail since I went over all of that at the March 17th meeting, but you know, the main outcome from this is that it will increase density in our urban zones and allow more residential in like the Urban Service District, USD, and then also one of the major changes is the sub change to subdivision and three to four dwelling units not having to go before the Planning Board now. So are there any questions based on, you know, what I talked about last time and what you've seen from this code change, like, [8:57] Jonathan Boucher: to open up any questions to staff. Anybody have any items that they want to discuss in detail? Are there any other staff comments? I don't have any comments or questions either. So I would open it up for public comment. And seeing as there's no public comment, we will close that. And then another chance for review by the board or any discussion we'd like to have before moving forward. [9:33] Janet Sanborn Jonas: I just want to say too, again, that this is just round one and we do have another round coming in the next few months that will address the transitional and rural zones. [9:42] Jonathan Boucher: So a point of order on this one is pretty long, and if I ask for a motion, a reminder is that it should be phrased in as ought to pass, that we recommend it as ought to pass, and then we vote yes or no as we see correct. But how would we, should we be reading this off? You mean the title of it? What do you mean? Yeah, so when someone makes the motion, are they expected to read the whole amending Land Development Code sections XYZ? No, I don't think you have to. I think you can just say [10:14] Janet Sanborn Jonas: The amendments ought to pass, all right. Is that clear for whoever is going to make the motion? Can I jump in really quick? Just if you go to the actual council order, it has a much shorter, we usually do copy over what the council order says, so well. [11:02] Jonathan Boucher: If someone would like to make the motion, I think we can proceed, but just a reminder that we should make it with that phrasing, that ought to pass phrasing. We'll take a minute to try and find that, writing. [11:31] Janet Sanborn Jonas: It's not jumping out at me either. It's at the top of the council ordinance, the council action form. Yeah, it's page 24 of the packet, are. [11:43] Jonathan Boucher: You ready, member Huynh? Yes, chair. I move. [11:51] Kenneth Huhn: That we, I move a motion to recommend the City Council ought to pass that ordinance amending at chapter 165 land development code to comply with new state laws, ld 1829, ld 427, and ld 997. Thank you. Do we have a second? A second, member Hobson. With. [12:16] Jonathan Boucher: The second and a roll call vote. Member Brush, yes. Remember Hayes, yes. Remember Hobson, yes. Remember Hewn, yes. Remember Jonas, yes. Number Whitford, yes. And the chair votes yes. So at this point, this is going to go before the city council at their next meeting to be reviewed. Any additional comments on this one? Planning officer, nope, moving on to other business. We have an item here for thoughts on land development code update and land use planning. Is there, are there any items we wanted to discuss here? They don't have any suggestions, or is there anything from staff? [12:59] Janet Sanborn Jonas: Staff just that we expect our draft code for staff review next week, so excited about that. [13:07] Jonathan Boucher: Now is there, the last item I have here is a reminder to sign documents. Is there a signature? [13:14] Janet Sanborn Jonas: Requirement from, yes. So we should have the findings and decisions that you voted on, and then that plan for the flag lot. We had you all come in and sign. Since me and Matt were out, we weren't able to make sure that blue ink wasn't used, so we actually need that plan re-signed, and we actually don't have, we didn't have the digital copy with the signature block, so what we're gonna have you do is sign a copy that doesn't have that signature block, and we'll see if the registry will take that, hopefully. But yes, sorry about that. Okay, so any other. [13:52] Jonathan Boucher: Other open items before we adjourn? All right, well this, sorry I didn't go for it, the. [14:03] Janet Sanborn Jonas: Public Works Department is doing an urban forest management plan, and they have a survey out from people to get, you know, feedback about trees in your neighborhood and things like that. It's buried a little bit on our website, but if you search for urban forest management plan, you should be able to find the survey link under that. It's also been posted on the city's facebook page, you might be able to find it there, but they are trying to get people's feedback on that, so if you want to take part in that and also like share it with people you know, I think that would be really helpful. Did [14:36] Jonathan Boucher: you have a question i was just going to ask a sort of open question about if you know what the what they're trying to get out of it is it related to brown tail moth is it related to it's [14:46] Janet Sanborn Jonas: just a study of all of our street trees and like park trees, you know, what does the canopy look like, where can we fill in the canopy, what's the diversity of the trees that we have, how can we add more diversity of trees, plant more native trees, and it really does affect planning too, because you know we have to look at things like the canopy because that affects, the values of people's homes, it affects urban heat island and storm water and a lot of things like that, so it is important from a planning perspective too. Does that cover your question? [15:21] Jonathan Boucher: Oh sure, okay, yeah, all right, any other items before we adjourn? Well, it is 7 14 and this meeting of the planning board of the bangor, city of Bangor planning