The town’s Ordinance Committee met on Monday, Dec. 8, with Councilor Seven Siegel (Committee Chair), Councilor Lou Simms, and newly appointed Councilor Kelly Dearborn in attendance.

Also present were Ephrem Paraschak, town manager; Tom Poirier, director of community development; Carol Eyerman, town planner; Terry Deering, director of public works; Ken Fickett, Gorham fire chief; Tim Spear, Gorham School Department athletic director; Ed Smith, Gorham School Department groundskeeper; Mark Curtis, Gorham Economic Development Corporation and Board of Appeals board chair; and a member of the public.
The meeting comprised a review of all items previously referred by the Town Council for future meetings and actions:

A. Consider Form Based Codes in part(s) of the Gorham Village Districts.
B. Consider creating a stand-alone ordinance or policy that would ban or modify the use of harmful pesticides from use on municipal facilities.
C. Review and propose updates to the Solid Waste Flow Ordinance.
D. Consider updating the Town’s Mobile Home Park Ordinance to consider restricting excessive increases of rent and fees, and ensuring landlords invest in proper maintenance of property infrastructure on a regular basis.
E. Review the Town’s Wastewater Ordinance to allow for private clustered wastewater systems.
F. Review and provide recommendations on an ordinance that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products in the Town of Gorham.
G. Work with staff to review and propose public utility impact fee(s) for the purpose of expanding water and sewer availability in the Town of Gorham where extensions are possible.
H. Bring back several recommendations on modifications to the Land Use and Development Code (LUDC) that would help preserve the rural nature of Gorham for further review and action by the Town Council.
I. Create a Smart Growth Policy to provide guidance on the modification and adoption of ordinances promoting smart growth for the Town of Gorham wherever possible.
J. Examine performance standards for multi-family housing to promote effective multifamily development and recommend amendments to the LUDC.
K. Review increasing the number of allowed dogs in a kennel from the current maximum of 10 and make recommendation.
L. Review a University District for the parcels occupied by the University of Southern Maine.
M. Review and make recommendation regarding amending the Fire Suppression Systems Ordinance to allow for one- and two-family unit exemptions based on minimum lot size and distance from fire-suppression water sources.
N. Review and make recommendation regarding amending the LUDC to restrict large-scale data centers.
Mr. Paraschak clarified that the list is not intended to be discussed all at once, but rather is to help the Committee prioritize items for action or future discussion.

Given that School Department staff were present for a previously reviewed item, the Committee addressed the pesticide issue (item B) first, and agreed to send the item back to the Town Council with a recommendation for no action; 2 Ayes, 1 abstention (Dearborn).

The Committee also took action on the issue of increasing kennel capacity (item K), passing a motion to recommend no action; 3 Ayes.

Before adjourning, the Committee agreed to continue meeting on the second Monday of the month and outlined an agenda for the Jan. 12 meeting, where they will discuss the town’s fire suppression systems ordinance (item M) and wastewater ordinance (item E) and will review the proposed University District (item L).