Washington voters head to the polls this Tuesday, Sep. 9 to decide several changes to the town’s Land Use Ordinance, updates to the Subdivision and Road Naming/911 Ordinances, and whether to adopt a Formula Store Ordinance. 

If the Land Use Ordinance changes are adopted, the Town will require a building permit for any structure, transfer more permitting authority to the CEO from the Planning Board, remove the Planning Board’s power to review above-ground storage of large containers of petroleum and liquid fuel, and update language i.e. “Board of Selectmen” to “Select Board.”

At the 2022 Washington Town Meeting, Select Board Member Tom Johnston said the Select Board has “an issue” with tiny homes and small buildings being used as residential structures, which is why the Town wants to require permits for all structures. 

“We really should have a handle on (them),” Johnston said. “There could be taxable structures being built without us knowing where they are.” He went on to say that if the Town knows a structure exists, the Town will know “where we may need fire protection and there’s other issues that go along with that.”

Donald Grinnell said he did not feel he should have to get a permit to put in a handicap access ramp for an elderly person. After significant debate and several attempts at friendly amendments, Grinnell moved to delay an action on the items until the Planning Board could present a written copy of the amendments and a referendum with four separate written questions to be voted on in the June 2022 election. 

A straw poll revealed that voters at the town meeting were unanimously opposed to requiring a permit for structures under 240 square feet, with support rising to 50% when the permit was limited to new structures. 

The issue appears to have been set aside until this summer, when the Planning Board held the highly anticipated public hearing regarding the Formula Store Ordinance and included the Land Use Changes now on the ballot. 

At an Aug. 12 public hearing, the Town also expressed their intent to add a Certificate of Occupancy requirement to the Land Use Ordinance. At a second public hearing on Aug. 20, the Select Board said they had removed the Certificate of Occupancy question for the time being, but the other changes would move forward to a vote on Sept. 9, 2025. 

Proposed changes to the Town of Washington Subdivision Ordinance will simplify and streamline the language of the ordinance. 

Proposed changes to the Road Naming and House Numbering Ordinance including updating the Ordinance to conform with 911 standards established by the Public Utilities Commission. Several new layers of compliance will be added, including the requirement that commercial camps and campgrounds assign site numbers and post visible reflective signs on each building or campground. 

Voters will be asked whether the Town should adopt a Formula Business Ordinance. Voters enacted a moratorium on large scale retail development in January 2025. A committee worked for months to draft this ordinance based on currently exciting ordinances in townships within Maine and across the country. 

Committee Chair Jeffrey Knox said he is pleased with the hard work the committee put in to create an ordinance which aims to protect and preserve the quality of life and economic opportunities for the citizens of Washington.

The other questions address what the Select Board calls “Housekeeping” issues, such as updating archaic language. 

Questions 1 and 2 address increasing the footprint for CEO-only review of non-residential structures from 1,200 square feet to 2,000 square feet in the Farm and Forest District, which was “overlooked” when these changes were applied to the other districts in 2022

Question 3, if passed, will instate a permit requirement for all structures, eliminating current exemptions for the replacement of exterior steps and walkways and the construction of a free standing single story accessory structure, as long as each was under 240 square feet. 

Question 4, if passed, will remove a requirement for the Planning Board to review above-ground storage of more than 350 gallons of fuel in several districts.

Question 5, if passed, will update “outdated” references in the Land Use Ordinances, ex. Changing “Board of Selectmen” to “Select Board.”

A sample ballot and copies of the proposed ordinances are available on the Town of Washington’s website. Voting is Tuesday, September 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the town office, 40 Old Union Road, Washington. For more information, visit the town’s website or call the Town Office at 845-2897.