CAMDEN — When the Select Board convenes March 17 in Camden for a regularly scheduled meeting, its discussions will range from spending money on vernal pool surveys in a cemetery to renting the former chamber of commerce building on the Public Landing, to resuming the downtown paid parking program in May.

The Board will also hold a public hearing on placing a residential parking amendment before voters at Town Meeting June 9.

The latter concerns amending the town's parking requirements to not only align with state statute LD 427, an Act to Regulate Municipal Parking Space Minimums but go a step further to remove parking requirements for dwelling units in town.

LD 427, passed in June 2025, stipulates that municiplaties may not require more than one off-street parking space per dwelling unit for a residential development within a designated growth area of a municipality. The statute also allows for off-site parking agreements if the parking is within one-quarter mile of the development.

Camden is proposing to remove the number of off-street parking for dwelling units anywhere in town.

At the March 17 meeting, the Select Board will also hold a public hearing on amending the definition of coastal wetlands to comply with updated state law.

Camden's amendment, "establishes a new boundary where the shoreland zoning regulations commence and then proceed upland 250 feet from this boundary line," according to a memo to the Board from Camden Planning and Development Director Jeremy Martin. "This amendment amends the definition by deleting reference to 'the highest annual tide level for the year in which an activity is proposed as identified in tide tables published by the National Ocean Service' replacing it with 'highest astronomical tide as determined by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"For background the difference, generally, is that the highest annual tide is the highest predicted tide for a specific calendar year, while the highest astronomical tide (HAT) is the highest predicted tide over a 20-year period, remaining constant for that 20-year epoch. The highest annual tide changes each year while the HAT is a more stable, long-term benchmark....

"On the coast of Maine, the difference between highest annual tide and HAT is typically a few inches but can be larger in some years, and the difference is variable from location to location and site to site and year to year In a year where the highest annual tide is the highest ever recorded within the 20 year epoch, the highest annual tide would be equal to HAT."

Chamber of Commerce building

In December 2024, the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce folded, and subsequently vacated the small building on the Camden Public Landing that it had been renting from the town for decades. The building has sat vacant since then.

Green Burial

An effort has been underway for more than two years in the Midcoast to create green burial areas in local cemeteries. Last October, the Town of Warren created such an area in a town cemetery, and Camden has been discussing it for months. 

In May 2025, Camden Public Library hosted Jean Matlack, a member of the nonprofit Midcoast Maine Green Burial, to talk about Green Burial as, “a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, the reduction of carbon emissions, the protection of worker health, and the restoration and protection of habitat.” 

Camden's Cemetery Association, which is a  has discussed the idea of carving out a section of Oak Hill North Cemetery for green burial grounds.

In a premeeting memo to the Select Board, Town Manager Audra Caler noted that environmental surveys are first necessary to determine if the site is suitable for burying human bodies. Such studies include wetland delineation, vernal pool monitoring, and soil feasibility testing.

Quotes for such work have been obtained, and range from:

• Wetland delineation: $2,900 – $3,500

• Vernal pool monitoring (if applicable): $1,750 – $2,600

• Soil testing and feasibility analysis (approximately five acres): $1,870

Vernal pool monitoring would cost approximately $7,970.

The Cemetery Association, consisting of seven Camden citizen trustees, obtained the quotes; however, "The Cemetery Association has indicated that it is not in a position to fund this work directly," wrote Caler. "While the Association maintains investment funds intended to support the long-term care and maintenance of Oak Hill and Mountain View cemeteries, the Board has expressed reluctance to utilize those funds for planning or expansion-related studies. As a result, they have asked the Town to consider funding the initial environmental analysis required to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed green burial area.

"The Cemetery Association has also indicated that it intends to remain responsible for overseeing planning and development activities within the cemetery property. As a practical matter, completing the environmental analysis described above is the first step that would allow that process to move forward in a meaningful way. Without this information, it will be difficult to evaluate the suitability of the site or to develop any concept for future burial areas.

"Funding these studies would not commit the Town to establishing a green burial area. Rather, it would allow the Town, the Cemetery Association, and the community to determine whether the concept is feasible at Oak Hill North and what the next steps might be. If the studies are not undertaken, the Town and the Cemetery Association will have limited ability to evaluate the proposal or to advance discussions about potential cemetery expansion on this property. For these reasons, the Select Board may wish to consider whether funding this preliminary environmental work is an appropriate step in continuing to evaluate the green burial proposal and the long-term use of the remaining undeveloped land at Oak Hill North Cemetery."

The Select Board will discuss March 17 whether to direct money from a municipal reserve funds account toward completing the studies.

Paid Parking

In a memo from Holly Anderson, Camden's Parking Working Group Liaison, the Select Board was informed of recommended parameter changes to strengthen program goals.

In October 2025, the paid parking program was initiated for two weeks as a test run. In those two weeks, parking fees totaled $23,000.

Additionally, "Between Sept. 15 and Nov. 18, 2025, Resident permits to be eligible for two free hours of parking in green/paid parking spaces downtown were issued to 871 Camden-registered (excise tax) vehicles," Anderson wrote. "Upfront expenses included $266,707 for equipment, $3,140 for installation, and $8,230 for operations (meter fees, merchant fees, etc.). Enforcement costs in 2026 were paid out of the Police Department's budget, but for 2027 have been included in the Paid Parking Special Revenue Fund budget at $96,300 (1 full-time and 1 part-time)."

Over the winter, the Parking Working Group met and revised program parameters. They include:

"1. Paid Parking season runs from Memorial Day Friday (May 22) through Oct. 31.
Note: originally set as May 15-Oct. 15. Business owners feel it doesn't get busy until Memorial Day weekend and stays busy through the end of October.

"2. Enforcement runs Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday noon-8 p.m.
Note: originally set as ending at 5 p.m. During the high season business owners and others find parking scarce during the dinner hours and it's important to continue maintaining the turnover, while also taking advantage of the opportunity for revenue.

3. Rate set at $3/hour.
Note: originally set at $2/hour. In comparing parking rates in other Maine communities, the range is $2-$4/hour, with Bar Harbor charging $2/hour in outer lying areas of downtown and $4/hour in its core with a maximum of four hours (see map). Studies have shown that hybrid seasonal and dynamic pricing can keep fees resident-friendly while capturing tourist demand, but we need to collect and analyze a full season of data to determine demand and how to fairly adjust parameters.

"Furthermore, the Group agreed that a rate increase would help address the current municipal/county/school budget outlook and its direct impact on Camden taxpayers. The additional revenue would go a long way to bridge deficit gaps without reducing town services.

"4. Allow for two-hour extensions but at a premium cost ($6/hour).
Note: If we limit people to one extension (four hours total) they are blocked from paying to park later the same day. The clock resets daily at midnight. It could be managed differently if we had meters at each parking space but we utilize a pay-by-plate system with mobile and kiosk technologies. By doubling the hourly extension rate we both discourage long-term parking in prime parking spots, thereby encouraging turnover, and provide the option, at a premium, for visitors and occasional users.

"5. Hold on issuing additional/new permits.
Note: The Group heard from two residents on lower Mountain Street (across from Long Funeral Home and High Mountain Hall) who were frustrated to lose their long-held ability to park in front of their residences unfettered. There was also a request from individuals working on outer Bay View Street, near Frye, seeking closer options for long-term free public parking other than behind the Knox Mill (.4 mile).

"The Group concluded that while both situations are not without merit, we need a year to fully understand where there might be issues that impact larger numbers of people before developing solutions for a small number. Permits are a common practice in communities with parking issues, and Camden should keep an open mind about developing them, but not without more data."

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657