The Town’s Ordinance Committee met on Monday, Sept. 14, at the Gorham Municipal Center, with all three members present, along with Town staff and several members of the public.
The committee continued discussions regarding a proposed ordinance to implement rent stabilization of mobile home parks of 100-plus units. Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak reported that the Town Attorney is working on data sets to frame the ordinance and suggested scheduling a full Town Council workshop once a legal framework is established. Councilor Simms expressed support for scheduling a workshop with the full Council on the item sooner rather than later.
The committee also continued to discuss development of an ordinance to update standards for sidewalks and mixed-use paths to improve town connectivity, particularly near schools and employment areas. The committee is awaiting additional information from Town staff before taking concrete action on the ordinance.
The Capital Improvement Projects/Economic Development Committee convened on Thursday, Sept. 24, with two of its three members in attendance (Absent: Willis). On the agenda was an update on the traffic improvements around Gorham High School. Recent and potential future improvements were discussed with Town staff.
The Planning Board held a second September meeting on Monday, Sept. 28, to address agenda items that had been carried over from its Sept. 14 regular monthly meeting due to lateness rules.
The first agenda item was discussion of the final subdivision and site plan for Thistle Petite Condominiums, comprising 30 units of multifamily housing with associated infrastructure on County Road. The board moved to approve with conditions: 4 Ayes, 2 Absent (Walsh, Delaney), 1 Vacancy.
A request for subdivision plan pre-application review for a proposed 6-lot residential subdivision, part of a mixed-use project located at 239 County Road, was discussed, but no vote was taken.
The board also discussed an amendment to the Land Use and Development Code zoning map to create a new University District zone to implement the Comprehensive Plan, and moved to send the amendment to the next available Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee meeting for review: 4 Ayes, 2 Absent (Walsh, Delaney), 1 Vacancy.