Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 27 O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 F O C U S M I D C O A S T A N D D OW N E A S T County Rifl e Club, is a quiet section of woods that Dan Catlin hopes will soon be just as busy. Catlin, CEO of Commercial Properties in Portland, fi rst approached town offi cials last year about the 11-acre development at 435 Main St. It would include a bank, some service busi- nesses and retail in three buildings, for a total of 30,000 square feet. Catlin is the developer of much of the Topsham Fair Mall and other projects. He introduced the plan in April at a Planning Board meeting. It was the same meeting the board approved the Lisciotti Development Corp.'s 7,500-square-foot Dollar General and 4,500-square-foot Sherwin Williams. e Lisciotti project, which received several waivers on parking and other issues, though, didn't sit well with area residents. A petition drive followed, and in November town voters will decide whether to approve a morato- rium on any development larger than 2,500 square feet — a move aimed at giving the town time to determine how it wants to handle commercial development. After a year of careful groundwork, for the fi rst time in his development career, Catlin is suddenly in the wrong place at the wrong time. 'Things have started to move' Damariscotta is the kind of Maine village people come from out of state to visit. Its picture-postcard harbor on the Damariscotta River borders a three-block downtown of brick and clapboard buildings. Businesses downtown range from a coff ee shop and book store to the state's fi rst Reny's department store. e town's 2014 comprehensive plan update stresses that protection of the town's character is a top goal. "While change has been inevitable the residents hold to the belief that 'Better, not bigger' is the proper path," the plan says. e north end of Main Street, where Route 1B angles back toward U.S. Route 1, is a designated commercial corridor. Retail, light industrial and restaurant businesses should be developed there, but "only when the tone of the area is protected," the plan says. Protecting the town's character is something residents — not only in Damariscotta, but in towns down the Pemaquid peninsula — took seriously well before the 2014 plan update. In 2006, the town approved a 35,000-square foot development cap, squashing a proposal for a 187,000-square foot Wal-Mart. In 2008, the town was the sub- ject of a "Community Heart & Soul" study, funded by the Shelburne, Vt.-based Orton Family Foundation. e study included opportunities for townsfolk to mold their vision of the future. e report that followed suggested limiting development and ensuring that the town remain walk- able and maintain its village feel. en the recession hit. In 2011, residents voted against adopt- ing a form-based code, which focuses on a building's size and placement in relation to what's around it, intended to maintain a town's character. Beginning in 2008, "Nothing much occurred here," Town Manager Matt Lutkus says. "Suddenly, things have started to move." e development that includes Dollar General and Sherwin Williams, on the site of the long-vacant County Fair Motel at the corner of Main Street and Biscay Road, took many by sur- prise. Until developers asked to go before the planning board in February, the town offi ce hadn't heard about the project, Lutkus says. e planning board waived six stipu- lations of the site plan review ordinance when it approved the plan, including the required amount of parking spaces, and the requirement that parking not be in front of a building. Resident Rosa Ergas, one of those behind the recent petition drive, says, "People were really upset." Many felt it happened too fast for much public engagement. "It galvanized people," she says. "It was really important to slow the process down." Lutkus says that the two propos- als coming up at once, "contributed to the sense that things were happening really rapidly." Residents are concerned about ordinances being adhered to, but also that the spirit of the Heart & Soul report and comprehensive plan will be followed, Ergas says. Our Town Damariscotta, a loose group of peninsula residents that drove the Wal-Mart opposition 12 years before, became active again. Selectmen in June formed a Planning Advisory Committee in June to look at the town's land use regulations. At the same time, the moratorium movement began. If approved Nov 7, it will be retroactive to June and continue to Dec. 4, with an option for selectmen to extend it another six months if they believe an emergency exists. Frequent heating system repairs last season? Consider an upgrade. Find out more about incentives for natural gas, oil, and propane heating systems at efficiencymaine.com 866-376-2463 Invest in high-efficiency heating systems and controls with help from Efficiency Maine C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E »

• Cover