Bar Harbor Will Look Toward Potential Lodging Moratorium Extension This Week While Another Potential Hotel Project Waits Warrant Committee Organizes, Design Review Board Approves Restaurant Deck
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Bar Harbor Will Look Toward Potential Lodging Moratorium Extension This Week While Another Potential Hotel Project Waits

Warrant Committee Organizes, Design Review Board Approves Restaurant Deck

Carrie Jones

Jun 28, 2025

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Park Entrance Motel Potential Redesign

BAR HARBOR—The Bar Harbor Town Council will hold a public hearing that will potentially extend its moratorium on lodging (such as hotels and inns) projects and renovations on Tuesday, July 1. The meeting begins at 6:30 and is at the town’s municipal building on Cottage Street.

During that hearing, members of the public will be able to voice their opinion to the councilors about the moratorium’s potential extension.

The moratorium language before the council has potential tweaks.

It adds in language that adds the Planning Board, not just the code enforcement officer, will not “accept, process, review, approve, authorize, or issue any applications, petitions, plans, permits, licenses, or requests” for those lodging uses mentioned in the moratorium.

proposed moratorium. New language is underlined.

This is important because the following day, the town’s planning board has an application on its agenda for the Park Entrance Motel in Hulls Cove. The applicant is Eben Salvatore for Holiday Associates of Naples, LLC. out of Portsmouth, NH, and represented by Perry Moore.

It would redevelop the motel and add a marina building.

via application. Click to enlarge.

On February 5, 2025, the town council voted to enact a 180-day moratorium on most lodgings. Since then, the town’s planning board and staff have been working to collect data relevant to the “whereas” clauses in that moratorium. That moratorium took effect in early March.

The town councilors had previously unanimously moved the moratorium to public hearing. While the moratorium is enacted there can be no legal building or approval of six types of lodging varying in size from single family dwellings with three guest rooms to much larger accommodations.

Also on the council’s Tuesday agenda are special amusement permits for the 1932 Criterion Theatre, Sassafrass Cafe and Project Social. There is also an order to authorize Town Manager James Smith to execute collective bargaining agreement with the Bar Harbor Professional Firefighters.

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Margo H. Stanley Real Estate.

OTHER POTENTIAL MORATORIUM CHANGES IF IT IS CONTINUED

The proposed new moratorium strikes one whereas clause which states, “certain transient accommodations are of such size and impact that they should be subject to greater public scrutiny through the planning board review process.”

It also adds language explaining that things such as “replacing fixtures, reconfiguring existing rooms, replacing roofs, or making cosmetic improvements” are exempt from the moratorium. It also states that demolishing structures, structural elements, exterior walls or roofing beyond routine maintenance is not considered exempt.

According to Bar Harbor Planning Director Michele Gagnon, the town realized that remodeling, renovation, and minor revisions were not defined or qualified in the original moratorium, which could cause confusion.

The new proposed moratorium also states that the “maximum extent permitted by law and subject to the severability clause apply(ies) retroactively.”

Both moratoriums begin with whereas clauses explaining the reason for the moratorium.

If enacted, the new iteration of the moratorium would continue for 180 days unless the town council extends, repeals, or modifies it.

DESIGN REVIEW BOARD APPROVES DECK

via packet

Bar Harbor’s Design Review Board and Warrant Committee both met Thursday and made quick work of their duties.

The Design Review Board approved a deck at a Main Street restaurant while the Warrant Committee organized itself for the next year.

Owners Mark and Lynn Rampacek’s project is at the restaurant Porcelli’s, located at 318 Main Street. The application has Michael Boland as their representative. Georgia Blake represented the project at the meeting.

“A Sunoco gas station is directly to the right of the property, and Havana restaurant is located across the street. The building has white vinyl siding, a wood deck at the front, white wood railings around the deck, and a black pergola over the deck. The front of the building is set 5.5 feet back from the street,” according to material submitted to the board.

The proposal would extend the deck in two places. The first would be to the right of the front door when facing the building. That would be 100 inches more across the front and 158 inches to the side. The surface would be the same height as the current deck. There would also be a new railing.

The second area would “fill in the grass area between the existing deck and the ADA-compliant ramp. This section will measure 183 inches in length and 88 inches in width, with the same 21-inch height from the ground as the existing deck. Railing will also be installed on this section to match the existing railing in height and style,” the application reads.

There would also be a mounted Marlboro blue awning on the Edgewood Street side.

WARRANT COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION

Warrant Committee Chair Christine Smith was unanimously voted back in as the committee chair. Returning member Meagan Kelley was unanimously elected vice chair. Louise Lopez was unanimously returned to the secretary’s position. All were unopposed.

The committee also will need to appoint a replacement for a vacancy. The vacancy is newly elected council member Steven Boucher’s who was on the public safety subcommittee. Within the warrant committee are four subcommittees. Eben Salvatore had been the chair of that committee, but he was not reelected. The only remaining members of that committee are Kevin DesVeaux and Shaun Farrar. DesVeaux indicated that he hoped that Farrar would chair the committee.

The town will have a period of open nominations to allow people to apply. Smith, Kelly, Lopez and the public safety subcommittee chair would then look at the nominations and bring them to a special warrant committee meeting for an appointment.

DISCLOSURE: Shaun Farrar is also an editor/reporter for the Bar Harbor Story.

LINKS TO LEARN MORE

Design Review Board Agenda June 26

Design Review Board meeting recording

Warrant Committee organization meeting recording

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