Bangor committee reviews housing regulatory changes, tables EPG strategy

[0:06] Joseph Leonard: We're live. All righty. Good evening everybody. This is the regularly scheduled meeting of the business non-development committee. I am the chair, Counselor Leonard. Other committee members are Counselors Fish, Mallard, Barton, and Balloon. We also have around the table Council Chair Haas, Counselor Dean, Union Economic Director, and Creek, Counselor Walker, and last but not least, Counselor Beck. And we are going to start off with going over some overview of some removal of barriers to housing. And when you are ready, please take it away. Yeah, thank you. [0:48] Carollynn Lear: So at previous council meetings and committee meetings or spent some discussions about, you know, what has the city done so far to remove barriers, regulatory barriers in this case, to providing housing. And so I went through sort of the history of all the different changes that have been made since 2019. We started in 2019 because there was a group called the Affordable Housing Working Work Group, and I think you were on that committee. Yeah, and met for a couple of years, I think it was, and they came up with a series of recommendations to make some changes, and there were different groups that needed to make changes or to participate and trying to make things more affordable in Bangor. So we, so we started in, you know, when I first started working here in 2019, we sort of handed that document and said okay, implement this. So we started in on writing accessory dwelling units, doing research on short-term rentals, which ultimately were placed in here, and a whole series of reducing, you know, lot sizes. We did an analysis of, you know, existing lot sizes and all of the non-conforming situations that were preventing people from expanding or adding units. We added those, and then fast forward to a couple of years ago, there was a major change called LD 2003 that required us to change the density requirements to allow for multiple dwellings on a lot. So those changes went in. So and then we've added things like, you know, supportive housing that wasn't there before. We kind of cleaned up the language on boarding houses and put in dormitories as a use. So we've added, you know, some different options for people and different locations for them to put them. And then ultimately right now, I have staff, planning staff going through all the most recent LDs that will be coming online this summer to get those to you over the next couple of months. We were hoping to get them in March for the committee. Many questions. [3:35] Joseph Leonard: Or comments for Ann or and or discussion? Yes, counselor Dean, I have a question [3:43] Carolyn Fish: regarding the dormitories. Do we have many active dormitories right now? Is it still the plan? So I [3:48] Carollynn Lear: don't hear much about that. Yeah, we do have one that's in the planning stage. They're waiting for some improvements that we're going to be making in the mall area for wastewater, and then do have another potential applicant for that is looking at that as an option. Great, thank you. [4:13] Joseph Leonard: Council back the 2019 housing work report, it talked about wanting the rental registry. I know we have a pilot program for long-term rental registry. How is that going? That's correct. [4:25] Carollynn Lear: We have our community development officers worked on that, and we do have a lot of people that have come in to register. We haven't come back to you yet with a full update on that, but we can, we can definitely do that in a future agenda. I would actually like to see that at some point [4:49] Joseph Leonard: in the future, just because it is a really good tool for us to use, not just for reducing poverty, but also this and [5:00] Carollynn Lear: also the state of the state legislation has changed where we have to do it. So it's going from, you know, voluntary to mandatory. [5:13] Joseph Leonard: So when is probably the most likely date that we could maybe see that? I know we're going to be busy with the budget and other items coming up. So do you know, a guesstimate when we could [5:26] Carollynn Lear: have this discussion to go over it? I think we could have it at your March,. Okay, we'll [5:31] Joseph Leonard: make sure it's on from. Okay, thank you, I appreciate that. Any other questions, comments, or discussion? [5:41] Carolyn Fish: Yes, council Fish, can you refresh my memory, was there a 400 000 housing grant that we had applied for that was, I think, gonna be granted for monies for this year, but did we, was there something wrong with the application itself? And no, we didn't get funding for that, we didn't. Yeah, and what was the reason for that? Is the web, what was the reason for that? I'm [6:09] Carollynn Lear: not sure, I don't know, let me see right now. Do you remember what was the reason for that? I forgot. Are you talking about the pro housing? Yeah, you have to come to the team, you gotta come up. Yeah, sorry. [6:25] Carolyn Fish: Okay, yes, so the pro housing grant, I think ultimately we just weren't selected for that, it was just a limited number. Okay, I knew we applied for it and then I just never heard and I've just had that on the back of mind, was fine with it, 400, but they didn't consider it. Okay, thank you. [6:44] Joseph Leonard: Discussion, if not, I'd like to move on to strategies regarding the EPG. [6:58] Carollynn Lear: Yeah, actually, I meant to put this on the next agenda. So somehow this got put on here. So this is table to next time. Okay. Well, sorry. Thank you. Yeah, no, we that we tabled that to next time. Yeah. Okay. So I shouldn't. [7:18] Joseph Leonard: Well, we'll just stick to general updates. [7:20] Carollynn Lear: Yeah. So general updates. At a previous meeting, the committee had asked about the economic development fund. So we found the original council action that created the economic development fund. So I wanted to make sure you had that in your packet. [7:45] Joseph Leonard: Sue, is that Ed's signature on there? [7:47] Carollynn Lear: It was. Yes, Ed Barrett. [7:51] Joseph Leonard: All right, any comments or questions regarding the topic or and did I jump over you? No. [8:02] Carollynn Lear: That's fine, I just wanted to be sure that you had that, so you have that background. Yeah, I have one short question just to clarify it for me. Could you give me a list of the properties that are involved in that? Yeah, I mean refers to of the properties assigned to the fund. So I guess the question would be what's been assigned to the fund. It's mostly just up hand the properties that you own like on Main Ave and Audlin, you know, the business park, but yeah, as part of the budget process you'll see the full list, but I can also give it to you in your next packet. Thank you. [8:45] Joseph Leonard: Okay, unless there is any other questions or comments, it is currently 5 41 pm. I'm going to call this meeting to adjournment, but stay tuned, we have government operations coming up next.