Town Targets Citizen Petitions

The Citizen Petitions you voted to include in the Land Use Ordinance are in the cross hairs of the Select Board again. Today’s PenBay Pilot reports that tonight’s Select Board meeting at 6PM in the Geoffrey C. Parker Meeting Room (basement of Opera House) will begin the process to remove the language you approved during the height of Covid-19. We encourage you to participate online through the town’s video feed or in person at the Opera House.

They give no reason for the proposal to eliminate a parking, traffic and safety study for proposed off-site or shared parking or waiver of parking requirements by the Planning Board or Planning Department. Remember, the Superior Court upheld these Citizen Petitions. Nor is any reason given for striking the language limiting the size of hotels in the harbor area. One might think that the Rockport Harbor Hotel has plans to regain their monopoly lost through the successful citizen petitions process. Whether that means reverting to their original plan at 20 Central Street, using the copious vacant space in the Shepherd Block or more construction at 14 and 16 Central Street remains to be seen.

It is absolutely worth the time to ask the Select Board why they are continuing to fight the will of the voters. After spending your tax dollars to fight against the Citizen Petitions in court, they now want you to again eliminate third party oversight of the planning process by eliminating the reasonable traffic, parking and safety study requirement. Speak up tonight.