BELFAST — The Belfast City Council will meet for its regular meeting Tuesday, Jan. 7, to address agenda topics including: transitional housing, updated rental fees for City facilities and sports fields, and proposed Three Tides Zoning Amendments.

The first agenda item on Belfast City Manager Erin Herbig's pre-meeting report  is a discussion on a proposal for transitional housing in Belfast. 

The Midcoast Maine Homeless Coalition submitted the proposal to the Belfast Planning and Code Department, which involves a transitional housing facility to be located at the United Methodist Church. The church is located at 23 Mill Lane, according to the pre-meeting report.

Currently, transitional housing is not a permitted use in the Belfast City Code of Ordinances and an amendment would be required to make the proposal possible. 

Transitional housing is defined by the Department of Human Services as, “[providing] temporary housing with supportive services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness with the goal of interim stability and support to successfully move to and maintain permanent housing. TH projects can cover housing costs and accompanying supportive services for program participants for up to 24 months.”

It is noted in the proposal that the proposed facility, which would be operated by the MMHC, is not a traditional “low-barrier” emergency shelter, as residents would be required to sign a service and occupancy agreement. 

In addition to the requested ordinance amendment, the proposal states that the City may also want to consider whether a municipal licensure should also be put in place, as well as performance standards, white it states could help protect neighborhoods where transitional housing facilities may be located. These measures would help ensure the operation does not overburden other City services, according to the proposal. 

“In other municipalities, the presence of transitional housing facilities is often coupled with an uptick in required emergency services. People experiencing homelessness typically travel to municipalities with services perceived as being available, drawing in people from other communities. As many towns and cities in our region do not have their own facilities, it is important that Belfast strikes a balance between providing support for people who need it and attracting more people who need services than the City of Belfast can support,” the document states. 

If the Council is supportive of the concept, Director of Code and Planning Bub Fournier has reportedly recommended the Council direct the Planning Board to create an ordinance amendment based on how narrow or broad the Council determines is best for the community. Fournier will be present to answer any questions. 

Parks and Recreation Director Pam Salokangas has requested the Council approve the purchase of recreation management software to help manage an increasing number of rentals for City facilities such as the Belfast Boathouse and sports fields. 

Currently the Parks and Rec Department is using calendar-only software and tracking documentation via checklists and spreadsheets, which reportedly requires a significant amount of staff time in recent years. 

Director Salokangas has identified a service, RecDesk, she has experience with to help tackle the issue. The software, which offers prices on a sliding scale, gave a $4,200 quote for their services. The fee covers the software alone, and Salokangas is still comparing two merchant accounts/processing gateways. She will be at the meeting to answer any questions. 

A second request from Salokangas is regarding an updated City of Belfast Parks and Recreation fee policy.  The policy would be created with the intention of reviewing the fees annually and updating them accordingly. 

According to Herbig’s pre-meeting report, Salokangas put together a thorough document representing what the department has been doing, could be doing, and should be doing at [the City’s] facilities, and what [they] may be doing in the future. 

Some of the changes to policy include: 

• A program pricing philosophy that includes break-even points, minimum/maximum enrollments, direct and indirect costs, resident and non-resident rates, as well as a pricing model once the department is ready to add programming options in the future. 

• An expanded sports field reservation policy for both the Belfast City Park and Walsh Field Recreation Area as the fields at both locations are used throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons. 

• An updated group reservation section for the Belfast City Park Pool. 

A more complete list of policy changes can be viewed in Herbig’s pre-meeting report. 

There will be a presentation during the Council meeting regarding Contract Rezoning Agreement Amendment #1 at two Pinchy Lane, Three Tides Bar & Restaurant. Owners of the restaurant have proposed reconstructing the building located at the aforementioned address and involves review pursuant to the Contract Rezoning process in chapter 102 Zoning for the Waterfront Mixed Use zoning districts, according to the request. The restaurant is currently closed for renovations.

The Belfast Planning Board and Intown Design Review Committee have reportedly served as advisory boards to the City Council, who will make the final decision regarding approval of the project. Intown DRC finished their review Oct. 3, while the Planning Board completed their review Nov. 13. 

It is noted in Herbig’s report that the majority of the language within the 2020 Contract Rezoning Agreement has been maintained, but for three minor amendments. 

1. To allow the reduced setback requirements on the western and front property lines, and

2. To locate a portion of the new stairs and front porch (on the southern side of the building) within the bounds of the City Harbor Walk right-of-way, and

3. To reaffirm the Council's previous approval in 2020 to designate two public parking spaces located directly adjacent to the Front Street Pub in Belfast Yards to be handicap spaces. 

No City action is required during the presentation. Following the presentation, there will be a public hearing regarding the issue, followed by a second reading of the amendments. 

Herbig’s pre-meeting report is available to read in full on the City of Belfast website.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com