Also elects officers for the year
Aug 28, 2025
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Acadia Shops.
BAR HARBOR—The Bar Harbor Design Review Board earlier this month had before it, and approved, an application for two expansion projects at Hannaford Supermarket.
At the August 14 meeting, member Erin Cough declared a conflict of interest because her husband owns the property that the grocery store sits on and she recused herself from discussion.
Hannaford Bros. Co, LLC has a project at 86 Cottage Street, Bar Harbor. The goal is to add two additions to the supermarket building in land use ordinance zone Downtown Village II.
The civil engineer representing the project said the project has an expansion on the front of the building to provide additional storage for produce and freezer items as well as a mechanical room in the back. The roof loads can’t support those mechanicals.
They are also proposing to repaint the building.
Three parking spaces will be lost.
“We’re still meeting the town’s requirements for the required number of parking spaces by at least ten or so,” the engineer said.
According to the application, “The proposed expansion includes a small addition to the south face of the building to expand the mechanical room and an addition to the north face of the building for a produce cooler and dry storage. Building additions will be constructed over existing paved surfaces, resulting in no increase to the current impervious area. The proposed addition on the north end of the building will have approximate dimensions of 51 feet (ft) in width and 17 ft in depth, totaling approximately 867 square feet (SF). This addition will be flush with the existing front of the building. The proposed addition on the south side of the building will measure approximately 16 ft in width and 14 ft in depth, adding approximately 224 SF to the building, and will also be cohesive with the existing building facade.”
It was unanimously approved and they will also have to receive building permits before work can begin.
SELKIE SAUNA
Also, earlier this month the Bar Harbor Design Review Board told Gail Gladstone that her project application was deemed appropriate to set up a seasonal sauna opportunity at 1501 State Hwy 102, Bar Harbor, which is the location of Salsbury Organic Garden Supply/Mother’s Kitchen in Town Hill. The sauna will be operated seasonally through October.
Gladstone, one of the owners of the Selkie Sauna, said that they’d like to set up a seasonal operation at the back of Mother’s Kitchen, which will operate twice a week, likely, and probably in the evening.
According to the application, “The building is a 7×12 mobile sauna. The sauna will be situated on the ground (making it not mobile) next to an existing building near the back of the property. This will create a small, separate space on the lot that will serve as a sitting/rest area. A five-foot-tall temporary fence made of 4×4 posts with open lattice will enclose the west side of the space providing some additional privacy in the sitting area. The exterior material of the sauna is aluminum sheeting painted black. There is no additional lighting.”
It would leave the site after October.
ELECTIONS AND ROLE OF THE BOARD
Erin Cough was elected chair. Barbara Sassaman was elected as vice chair. Andrea Lepicio was elected secretary.
Member Bo Jennings said he wanted to make sure the board sticks to the guidelines and ordinance.
“I want to be careful that we don’t fall under the same trap,” Jennings said. “That we lead by example…. I want to be thorough, but I also want to do what the ordinance directs us to do and not overstep.”
Member Pancho Cole responded, “We have sometimes brought some things to attention that the applicants that they hadn’t considered, which we are doing here.”
“The air in government in Bar Harbor right now, I just want to make sure that we are following our ordinances and not overstepping because when we do we set people up for failure and I just want to lead by example,” said Jennings.
“I think that’s well said and sensible,” Lepicio said.
Sassaman said that the board does make suggestions because of the various expertise that members have.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
To view the Design Review Board’s meeting packet
Follow us on Facebook or BlueSky or Instagram. And as a reminder, you can easily view all our past stories and press releases here.
Bar Harbor Story is a mostly self-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thank you for being here with us and caring about our community, too!Subscribed
Thanks for reading Bar Harbor Story! This post is public so feel free to share it.
If you’d like to donate to help support us, you can, but no pressure! Just click here (about how you can give) or here (a direct link), which is the same as the button below.
Discover more from Bar Harbor Story
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.