Town of Scarborough

Board & Committee Newsletter

The Town of Scarborough has a number of citizen-led boards and committees working to enhance our community. Their efforts are guided by the expertise of citizen volunteers and have a lasting impact in our town. Read on to see what some of the busier boards and committees have been up to in the past few months. Visit our Boards & Committees page for access to meeting agendas or to apply to fill a vacancy, and use the Town Calendar for a look at recent meetings and links to recordings.

This is a special edition of our regular newsletter. We'll send these periodically for a deeper dive on topics we don't want you to miss.

Conservation Commission: Supporting Council's Goal

The Conservation Commission continues to find ways to incorporate conservation principles into Town decision-making. They provided a workshop to the Town Council on April 19 about the importance of conserved land. The Commission's current work directly aligns with the Council's Sustainability, Conservation & Climate Change goal, to "Develop a plan to conserve more land in Scarborough and better integrate conservation and sustainability principles into our planning processes."

Along with the workshop, the commission also worked with Councilors Shupe and Caterina to develop a resolution supporting 30x30 (an initiative to conserve 30% of Scarborough lands by 2030). The resolution passed with unanimous Council support on June 7.

Their conservation efforts will continue for the foreseeable future. During the FY2024 budget review process (this past spring), the commission successfully advocated for funding to complete an Open Space Plan. An Open Space Conservation Plan would aid the Town in achieving its 30 x 30 goal by identifying locations to create opportunities for small and large open space areas that could be used for passive park space, trail connections or other conservation. These efforts go hand in hand with the Town's Vulnerability Assessment, which was also funded in the Town's FY24 budget. This plan will also lead to the development of a conservation and open space ordinance or impact fee. The commission will begin its work on this in the months ahead.

Additionally, the commission is working with the Planning Department to incorporate conservation principles into Town ordinances. They plan to continue their ordinance work by updating existing ordinances to increase vegetated buffer standards along natural resources and assisting with the creation of a Low Impact Development ordinance.

Sustainability Committee: Supporting Planning Department

The Sustainability Committee had a successful spring. They requested that the Town Council proclaim April 22 as Earth Day, and the Council unanimously adopted the proclamation at their April 19 meeting.

They have most recently been involved in supporting the Planning Department and the Long Range Planning Committee with updates to the Town's commercial lighting standards and more within the Town’s Commercial Design Standards. The Commercial Design Standards are used by developers as a guide for how buildings in Scarborough should look. The current document was provided to the Sustainability Committee, and specific sections were called out for the Committee to review, including parking areas, energy efficiency, building materials, rooflines, and lighting.

The Sustainability Committee is also working to identify ordinance updates to support the Council's Sustainability, Conservation & Climate Change goals. Ahead, the committee is working on developing a sustainability-focused budget line item, capital improvement project, and reserve account to support sustainability projects and programs.

The Planning Department, Long Range Planning Committee, and Sustainability Committee are in the process of reviewing the Town's Commercial Design Standards, which has not been updated in several years.

Sustainable Scarborough Day Coming October 1

The Sustainability Committee and Conservation Commission frequently overlap on projects, especially when it comes to public outreach and education. The two committees are collaborating on a shared idea to host an event called Sustainable Scarborough Day. This family-friendly event will be held outdoors on Sunday, October 1, 2023, featuring like-minded vendors and workshops to share sustainability tips. It will also share news of the incentives available through the Inflation Reduction Act. Stay tuned for more details coming later this summer!

If you are interested in participating as a vendor, please email our Sustainability Coordinator at [email protected].

Long Range Planning Committee: Ordinance Revisions

The Long Range Planning Committee is currently working to consolidate the Town’s Ordinances by reducing redundancy in the Site Plan, Zoning, and Commercial Design Standard Ordinances. In reviewing these standards, the Committee has conducted field visits to other communities to observe architectural and design standards which may fit the various neighborhoods of Scarborough. 

The Committee continues to review landscape and architecture standards with the Town’s Planning staff and hopes to forward proposed amendments to the Ordinance Committee soon. 

The Committee’s work advances the priorities established in the Town's 2021 Comprehensive Plan. The aim for their efforts is to simplify the Town’s ordinances so they are easier for residents and businesses interested in coming to Scarborough to understand.

The 2021 Comprehensive Plan serves as a guide for future development and conservation, and provides the Town with strategies for sustainability and steps for implementation.

The Planning Board has been busy reviewing a wide variety of development proposals. Most recently, at the end of June, the Board approved the Downs Town Center subdivision, a seven lot subdivision with a mix of retail, restaurant, residential, and mixed uses. Thus far, projects approved in the subdivision include a 96 unit apartment project, a mixed use building with ground floor retail and a restaurant, and 42 residential units on the upper floors, as well as 3i HoME, an affordable multifamily development for physically disabled persons.

The Board also reviewed the first roundabout in town, working with a nationally recognized traffic engineer used by MaineDOT statewide. The roundabout was approved for Downs Road and Innovation Way, and is expected to be built by the Fall. 

These projects within the Downs were reviewed in the June 26, 2023 Planning Board meeting. View Here (00:57).

The Board also held a workshop and public hearing to review the ordinance requirements for compliance with the new state law LD 2003, which removes regulatory barriers to increase housing production in Maine. It requires municipalities to create or amend local ordinances to allow for:

• Additional density for affordable developments in certain areas;
• Multiple dwelling units on lots designated for residential use; and
• One accessory dwelling unit located on the same lot as a single-family dwelling unit in any area where residential uses are permitted. 

What's Ahead

The Board will be holding a workshop on the Town’s federal stormwater permitting requirements, with an informational presentation by Town Engineer, Angela Blanchette. These requirements will necessitate several Ordinance amendments, which the Board will also be reviewing in July.

Transportation Committee: Scarborough By Bike

The Transportation Committee has been focusing on bicycle transportation in Scarborough. They worked with the Community Services Department to identify locations at municipal facilities where bike racks are needed. Many bike racks have been installed and more are anticipated in the near future. The committee also formed an ad hoc subcommittee of members to begin work on a bike byways map. This work will be shared publicly for feedback and ultimately become part of the Town-wide Transportation Study.

The committee's primary focus has been related to the Traffic & Transportation Council Goal, "Support transportation initiatives that will improve traffic flow in Scarborough". They are continuing to advance initiatives that reduce vehicle trips through our intersections and promote alternative modes of transportation. The Committee is also working with Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) on a grant application identifying critical locations for Demonstration Projects with the goal of eliminating fatalities or severe crashes along the Route 1 corridor.

Looking ahead, the committee will begin public outreach about the town-wide transportation study, move forward on the implementation of transportation tasks outlined in the Comprehensive Plan, and begin revising Traffic Impact Fees.

New bike rack installed at the Scarborough Community Services Hub (418 Payne Road)

Coastal Waters & Harbor Advisory Committee

The Coastal Waters committee has a number of items to work through. They plan to review and update the Coastal Waters Ordinance and discuss the new mooring and pier/co-op use fee and how it'll be implemented. They also made the following recommendations to the Town Council:

• Pier and floats repairs with allocated funds
• Pedestrian walkway repairs
• FY2024 budget request for both cranes to be replaced

The committee is currently undertaking a comprehensive study of the parking lot at the Pine Point Co-op. They will report back to Town staff for action by next spring. They will also identify water quality issues and ensure that the water quality is being looked at by Town staff encompassing all aspects from shellfish digging, to swimming at our beaches, etc.

This committee also is involved when there is dredging in Scarborough waterways. Committee member Daryen Granata has been assigned by the committee to sit on the Southern Maine Dredge Authority Board of Directors to represent the Town. Later this summer the US Army Corps of Engineers will be dredging in the Scarborough River as part of a Federal Navigation Project.

"A dinghy at sunrise. Fisherman's Co-Op. Pine Point." Taken by Colleen Mars, submitted in our Scarborough Summer Outdoors photo contest. View all entries.

Zoning Board of Appeals: Special Exception Requests

The Board has been hearing a number of special exception requests for various activities. Special Exceptions are uses that would not be appropriate generally or without restriction throughout the zoning district but which, if controlled as to number, area, location or relation to the neighborhood, would promote the public health, safety, welfare, morals, order, comfort, convenience, appearance, prosperity, or general welfare. Such uses may be permitted in zoning districts where special exceptions are provided for in the Zoning Ordinance. Any individual use for which a specific and individual special exception has been granted in accordance with this Ordinance shall be deemed as a permitted use but subject to such terms and conditions as specified by the Board of Appeals.

One of the more common special exception uses is a "Home Occupation". Home occupations can include a number of different types of activities, including retail sales if the sales are for products and articles produced, assembled or processed on the premises; and seafood caught or harvested off the premises by persons who reside in the dwelling unit or by the one permitted employee. 

Senior Programs Advisory Board

The Senior Advisory Board has given suggestions for senior trips, programs, and events. They have also supported the Age Friendly Scarborough subcommittee, which has been very active. The Senior Advisory Board provides a liaison to attend the Age Friendly Scarborough Meetings. 

The Age Friendly Initiative has held several events in the past few months as part of its Speaker Series. Two sessions on Cybersecurity were offered in March, one about internet safety, and the other about password protection. It was offered through a partnership with the USM Cybersecurity Ambassadors program and the Scarborough Public Library. An Emergency Preparedness Presentation was held in June featuring speakers from Scarborough EMS, Scarborough Fire Department, and the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA). It was very well attended, and emergency kits were given out to participants who attended the event.

Also in partnership with the Scarborough Public Library, the Age Friendly Scarborough subcommittee started up a Walking Club on the municipal campus. Age Friendly Scarborough was awarded the AARP Challenge Grant to add more benches and mileage markers to the walking routes on the municipal campus. They were also asked to participate in a Dementia-inclusive pilot project, and they've chosen to put together "memory backpacks" for people to use who may be living with Dementia or memory loss. 

The Age Friendly Initiative is the priority for the Seniors Program Advisory Board at this time. They will be putting the memory backpacks together soon, and will be working to set up a community Tai Chi class, and a community CPR class. 

Last night the Council acted on the request to move approval on names posted to various committees/boards, as recommended by the Appointments & Negotiations Committee. This included appointments to the new Ad Hoc Community Center Committee after seeking applicants over the past couple of months. Per the committee charge, it will be comprised of three members from the 2018 Ad Hoc Community Center Committee, two members from the Community Services Advisory Board, four members at-large, two members of Town Council, one Board of Education member, and one member of the Scarborough Public Library. Stay tuned in the months ahead as the committee forms and sets its meeting schedule.

Watch a Committee Meeting

Committee meetings are a great starting point for you to participate in your particular topics of interest—they are less formally structured than Town Council meetings and allow ample opportunity for discussion. Find agendas on each individual webpage (all listed here), tune in on the Town's YouTube channel, or participate in person or on Zoom (link in the agenda). Committee meeting dates are listed on each committee page or on the Town Calendar.

Apply to Join a Committee

We also invite you to consider joining a committee. Your time and expertise would have tremendous impact on the Town. Our municipal government relies on the volunteer service of residents on boards and committees. If you are interested in serving on a committee, apply online today.

The following boards/committees currently have vacancies:

• ADA Advisory Committee

• Historic Preservation Implementation Committee

• Senior Advisory Board

Applications are reviewed monthly by our Appointments and Negotiations Committee.