Plus, recent press releases.
Apr 28, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Paradis Ace Hardware.
BAR HARBOR—During an April 22 workshop, attending members of the Bar Harbor Planning Board learned what direction the Town Council wanted the town to head when it comes to proposed Land Use Ordinance (LUO) amendments. The members also learned the prioritization of those potential changes.
At that workshop, Planning Director Michele Gagnon first reviewed all of the steps involved in proposing a LUO change. Gagnon also reminded the Planning Board members and one member of the public attending, that not only do these proposed changes have to meet Council goals, but they also have to adhere to state requirements and the town’s future land use strategies as set forth in the town’s comprehensive plan.
The following are the steps that would need to occur and a rough time lime for any LUO changes that would be placed on the ballot for a November 2026 vote.
- Town Council reviews high level strategies and sets overall direction. This occurred at the April 21 Town Council meeting.
- Planning Department staff works with the Planning Board to develop the actual ordinance language and the standards for proposed amendments. April – May, 2026.
- Planning Board calls for a public hearing on any proposed LUO amendments. Early June, 2026.
- Planning staff present any proposed amendments to the Town Council. Mid June, 2026.
- Planning Board holds public hearing on any proposed amendments. Early July, 2026.
- Town Council has a first reading and calls for a public hearing on any proposed amendments. Mid – late July, 2026.
- Town Council holds public hearings on any proposed amendments and decides whether or not to place them on the warrant for a November 2026 vote. Mid – late August, 2026.
- Planning Board makes recommendations to adopt or reject any proposed amendments to voters. Early September, 2026.
- Warrant Committee reviews any proposed amendments and makes recommendations to adopt or reject amendments to voters. Date to be decided.
Many of the proposed changes have to be made for alignment with state law. Minimum lot sizes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and height bonuses for affordable housing are a few of the items addressed within state rules.
The six “high level strategies” as presented to the Town Council on April 21 are offsite and shared parking, graduated lodging scale, minimum lot size, accessory dwelling units, height bonus (for affordable housing), and definitions.
The above list is partially driven by the desire to wrap up the work that has been happening in regard to the lodging moratorium according to Gagnon.
At the April 22 Planning Board workshop, Gagnon broke out the six topics into tiers of priority as follows.
- 1 – Lodging – definitions – minimum lot size
- 2 – Height bonus – parking
- 3 – ADUs
COUNCIL DISCUSSION
It was not the only time that potential changes were presented last week.
Following the planning department’s presentation to the Town Council on April 21, some of the councilors had a few comments and questions.
“Great work on this by the way,” Councilor Earl Brechlin said.
He wondered about offsite parking requirements and rules. He asked about offsite parking rule changes and if the lodging uses would be included and if it would convey in perpetuity.
“We’re going to look at all that,” Gagnon said.
Councilor Steven Boucher asked about lot coverage and potentially exempting certain aspects—such as driveways—from lot coverages.
“We are going to look at other dimensional standards to make different lots more buildable,” Housing and Community Planner Cali Martinez said and look at changes in some districts.
Council Chair Val Peacock said the goals around affordable housing and lodging are like onions and they are layered and those layers are presented by the town to the public.
“I don’t have any problems with this work,” Peacock said.
She only worried about the time the town has to adjust to implications of each layer as it is changed.
“We’re very aware of that,” Gagnon said.
For the state’s changes to be useful for Bar Harbor, she said, there has to be a plan, which is prioritized, which will help the town voters decide if they want to support changes that go above and beyond the new and/or revised state laws.
Making sure that the town knows what the end result will be and a holistic understanding of the town is building is helpful, Peacock said. Part of that understanding comes from the details of each change and how it helps the town achieve its goals.
“It just feels fast for all of us,” Peacock said of the changes which are being presented every June and November. And, she said, it puts a lot of pressure on the planning department.
Minimum lot size, lodging, and definitions are the three most important pieces to come before the voters in November, Gagnon said, and if things aren’t ready, they will pull those changes out of the timeline for that election.
State law mandated changes have to be implemented by June 2027, Martinez said.
THE OUTLINED STEPS
On April 22, Gagnon gave the Planning Board members a quick explanation of the outlined steps for each of the six areas and the reasoning behind them referring to them as the “what?” and the “why?”
OFF-SITE AND SHARED PARKING
WHAT?
- “Allow off-site parking within .25 mile of residential developments in certain areas (LD 427).
- “Review current shared parking provisions.
- “Establish a parking agreement licensing ordinance.”
WHY?
- “Ensure compliance with the state law (LDs).
- “Support a flexible, demand-based approach to parking.
- “Reduce development costs.
- “Promote more efficient land use.”
GRADUTED LODGING SCALE
WHAT?
- “Develop a graduated lodging scale for developments exceeding 25 guest units (L4 and L5).
- “Review and identify appropriate zoning districts based on scale, infrastructure, community character, and environmental compatibility.”
WHY?
- “Direct large lodging establishments are on water and sewer.
- “Maintain and/or improve neighborhood compatibility.”
MINIMUM LOT SIZE (FALLS UNDER STATE’S INCREASED HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES LAWS)
WHAT?
- “Meet state law – for housing in growth area:
- “Minimum lot size of 5,000 SF on water/sewer.
- “Minimum lot size of 20,000 SF on well/septic.
- “Align with comprehensive plan – revise road frontage and setback requirements to improve buildability.”
WHY?
- “Reduce property costs due to high land prices.
- “Allow for infill development.
- “Reduce infrastructure cost.”
ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS (ADUs) (FALLS UNDER STATE’S INCREASED HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES LAWS)
WHAT?
- “Meet state law – ADUs allowed on lots with multi-unit buildings and are exempt from minimum area per family and lot size requirements.
- “To align with comprehensive plan – develop incentives to discourage the use of ADUs as STRs (short-term rentals) and set a maximum ADU size.”
WHY?
- “Supports downtown infill development and small-scale additions.
- “Take advantage of existing garages and basements, and backyards.”
HEIGHT BONUS (FALLS UNDER STATE’S INCREASED HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES LAWS)
WHAT?
- “Meet state law – height bonus of 14 FT (or 55 FT max height) for qualified affordable housing developments in growth areas.
- “Align with comprehensive plan – include provisions to maintain character to preserve community identity.”
WHY?
“Improve feasibilty of new affordable housing projects.”
DEFINITIONS
WHAT?
“Align Bar Harbor’s specific definitions with state law housing related definitions.”
WHY?
“Consolidate all definitions within the primary definitions section of the Land Use Ordinance to make the section easier to navigate and understand.”
Following Gagnon’s presentation to the Planning Board, Martinez gave her own presentation which broke the proposed ordinance changes down a bit more and explained how they would align with both state requirements and the town’s future land use strategies as set forth in the town’s comprehensive plan.
Martinez’ presentation also included some questions to be thought about and discussed during deliberations regarding the proposed changes, examples of different changes to make the minimum lot sizes more effective for housing development, and local case studies so that the Planning Board members would have an idea of scale in the real world.
The idea was for the members of the Planning Board to be able to have the information and the weekend to move about areas that are considered growth areas and visualize what the potential changes might end up looking like.
All of this information was in preparation for the more topic intensive workshops that are scheduled for this week on April 28 and April 30 at 2 p.m., in Council Chambers at the town office on Cottage Street.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Planning Board Workshop Agenda For April 22 – Including Martinez’ Presentation
Planning Board Workshop Agenda For April 28
There is currently no agenda for the April 30 workshop posted online.
All photos: Shaun Farrar/Bar Harbor Story
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