BELFAST — The Belfast City Council will meet for its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, March 17, to address a number of agenda items included in Belfast City Manager Erin Herbig’s pre-meeting report. Agenda items include a presentation, public hearing, and second reading on proposed amendments to the City Code of Ordinances regarding subdivisions, a review of the Curbside Belfast program, and the Belfast City Park concession stand. 

The first three agenda items have to do with the proposed amendments to the CCO Chapter 94 Subdivision, Chapter 98 Technical Standards, and Chapter 66 General Provisions. 

An initial presentation and first reading of the proposed amendments took place at the regular Belfast City Council meeting Feb. 3. 

The amendments being proposed reportedly represent the culmination of a months-long public process aimed at modernizing the City’s subdivision regulations. It is noted in Herbig’s pre-meeting report that the City’s subdivision regulations haven’t been substantially amended since the early 1990s. 

The previous public hearing reportedly left the City Council in want of additional feedback from the Housing and Property Development Committee on the proposed amendments before conducting a public hearing and a second reading at the March 17, meeting. The HPD Committee reportedly provided unanimous support for the amendments that were proposed at the March 3, meeting. 

A public hearing will take place immediately after the presentation of the proposed amendments, which can be found in their entirety on the City of Belfast’s website. 

“The proposal represents several ordinance workshop meetings with the Planning Board, including open to the public portions and two duly noticed public hearings, to align the City’s land development code with the community’s desire to increase housing opportunities by bringing the Subdivision Ordinance up to date,” according to Herbig’s pre-meeting report. 

The public is invited to attend the hearing in person at Belfast City Hall, or can watch the meeting on BelTV. There is also an option to stream the meeting from the City’s website.

Following the public hearing, a second reading of the proposed amendments will take place, during which, the Council can discuss, amend, table, or approve the second reading of the proposed amended ordinances.

If the second reading is approved by the Council, Director of Code and Planning Bub Fournier has requested that several additional steps fall into place: that a motion be made to approve the second reading and public hearing of the proposed amendments to the City Code of Ordinances, focusing on the Subdivisions Chapter 66 General Provisions; that these changes incorporate the new and amended definitions into the City Ordinance for the proposal as it has been presented. Chapter 94 Subdivision would incorporate a complete deletion and substitution of the former Chapter into the City Ordinance. Chapter 98 Technical Standards will also incorporate the new ideas, amended sections, and relocated sections into the City Ordinance. 

Fournier will attend the meeting to answer questions. 

Belfast’s Curbside Program, which was first approved in 2020, in response to precautions required during the Covid-19 pandemic, will also be reviewed during the March 7, meeting. 

The program allows businesses in the City’s downtown area to use City-owned parking spaces for commercial use. The program has continued ever since its 2020 inception, and has reportedly been widely well received. It has been reviewed bi-annually by the Council, to allow for refinements to be made, including improved traffic visibility, and a requirement that installation of any outdoor dining areas be complete by May 25, after which time the usage fee will increase. 

A request from Parks and Recreation Director Carolyn Steeves is featured later in the agenda, to choose one of three applicants for City Park’s concession stand. Proposals were received from JJ’s Taco Hut, Joshua and Dakota’s Cantina, and Taqueria Mex, with the Parks and Rec Committee meeting March 12 to discuss the venture. A recommendation will be presented at the meeting. 

City Manager Erin Herbig’s full agenda, along with supporting materials are available to view on the City’s website.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com