Responses to specific questions:
What do you feel is the most pressing issue for the town?
-Changing character, both loss of open space & scenic beauty, & change in demographics due to real estate costs
-Sprawl
-Rising costs driving out year-round residents that can’t afford to live here
-Displacement of year-round residents.
-Not growing in a planned manner – development is willy-nilly
-Infrastructure
Would you support tax incentives for year-round commercial development?
-Yes (2)
-Yes, and for residential development
-Somewhat
-Devil is in the details
Should tourism be encouraged or discouraged?
-Encourage sustainable tourism
-Not necessarily either – realize that tourists will come & plan for it (2)
-Quality tourism, not mass tourism should be encouraged (2)
-Be grateful for any cash coming in this town
-Encourage monthly and longer visitors in the summer; week long visitors in shoulder seasons. -Discourage day trippers.
Would you consider living in an in-town location?
-Yes (6)
-Yes, even on Main St
-No, but only because I don’t plan to move, maybe when I’m older.
-Only when I no longer can drive
-No, would rather die first
What are the most important qualities for a neighborhood/house site to have?
-Access to trails/sidewalks and sufficient side yard privacy
-Sidewalks, green space within walking distance
-Sense of community
-Connections to other neighborhoods if not in the village
-Space
What is your favorite commercial street?
-Northest Harbor Main St (3)
-Northest Harbor Main St – but would like to see businesses operate year-round
-Seal Harbor Main St (2)
-Somesville (historic section)
-Southwest Harbor Main St
Residential Street?
-Oak Hill Rd, but it is changing fast (see below)
-Millbrook Rd
-Hall Quarry Rd (mixed-use)
-South Shore Rd, NEH
-Stanley Mt Dr
-Manchester Rd (2)
-Jordon Pond Rd
Rural St?
-Oak Hill Rd, but it is changing fast (see above)
-Sargent Dr (2)
-Indian Point Rd (2)
-Pretty Marsh Rd
-Beech Hill Rd (2)
What characteristics of Mt Desert as a whole are most inportant to you?
-Scenic quality (3)
-Ability to keep my job
-Space
-Quiet
-Access to ocean (2)
-Neighborliness
-Rds not too congested (yet)
-Access to natural areas
-night sky
-sense of place
-remnants of local culture
Responses to draft Housing policies:
Ensure that new residential development is in harmony with surrounding development and/or traditional community characteristics
-Remove adjacency clause
Continue to update cluster section of ordinanceto create incentives for developers to protect open space
-Yes (2)
-TDR -appropriate here?
Update subdivision ordinance to create incentives for developers to follow ecologically sound performance guidelines
-Yes
-Include lighting ordinances to protect dark night sky
-Carrot & stick? Incentives and/or requirement for providing workforce housing? –contribution to fund “in lieu of”?
-What does this mean?
Create program that allows development with densities higher than underlying zoning, contingent on preserving appropriate amoung of developable land in more rual areas.
-Yes
-appropriate=key word; any developable land or would there be (town directed) priorities?
Increase amount of housing available that is more economically viable for the year-round community
-Yes!
Support efforts of qualified workforce housing entities
-Yes but how?
Adjust ordinances to encourage infill
-Yes
-Absolutely
Encourage multi-family housing opportunities
-Yes, but depends on location
Allow mobile-home parks in more districts
--No; if this is a critical part of affordable housing, yes, but I would prefer to see homes/apts to stay within the character of the town
Require 15% of new subdivisions are workforce housing
-Carrot & stick
-Good concept, but I question whether this % is a good one
-15% does not work for smaller subdivisions (less than 7)
Adjust ordinances to encourage mixed-use
-In village centers
Promote effieiency in public services and facilities with small networks of ulitlites and streets, in order to manage growth and create more affordable housing alternatives
-Yes
Adjust ordinances and decrease lot sized on land serviced by puclic water and sewer, with special attention to infill potential
-Yes (3)
Require new development in growth areas to connect to public utilities if expansion of those utilites is financially practical.
-Yes (2)
Work with public utilities to create capital recovery program for individuals/entities that extend public water and sewer networks
[none]
[Housing & Transportation Policy] Improve quality and type of safe connections between town’s villages, neighborhoods, and subdivisions
-Roads need priority
-Reduce rd standards –width, radii, etc (16 ft is good width, current town min standard), design to reduce traffic speeds & promote connectivity between areas
Require new residentail developments have bicycle and/or pedestrian connections to eachother
-ROADS
-and to village centers, open space areas
Improve automotive, bicycle, and pedestrian connections throughout town, with special attentaion fiven to improved bicycle/pedestrian safety
-ROADS
-Agree
-Good sidewalks needed to allow all within one mile (20 min) of village center to walk to that center (2)
Responses to draft Economic policies:
Use non-residentail development as a tool to manage growth:
Enourage mixed-use village north of historic Somesville village
-Yes, with study of traffic patterns & state input (3)
-Not too much, just a little infill. Should not become major center for all of MDI.
Encourage new non-residentail development to develop into landscape rather than along travel cooridors
-Yes (2)
-Not sure what this means – prefer it to be in villages, not on rd corridors
Ensure non-residentail development is high-quality and minizes its impact on existing neighborhoods, environment, and community as a whole.
-Whose definition of minimizing impact; protect waterfront (fresh water); good chance of perception and NIMBYism
-Parking, aesthetics, traffic, night lights (2)
Create non-residential design guidelines to ensure development meets minimum standards and reflects character of each neighborhood.
[none]
Review ordinances to ensure approprate residential & non-residential apportunities re permitted in eahc zone,and& lot & building size restrictions are appropriate.
[none]
Support efforts to provide more year-round and higher paying employment options:
-Yes (4)
-All this is for nothing without a job; STATE level issue & responsibility
Ensure that limitations on home-based businesses & occupations are not over restrictive
-Yes (4)
Work with surrounding communities, economic development organizations, and business on island to epand year-round economy
-Yes (4)
-State
Invest in infractructure improvements that will support fishing & shellfishing industries
-While managing the resource
-Yes (2)
-Reduction in regs and licenses; STATE
Assist in creation of “green” business park, limited to smaller scale year-round businesses
-Yes (2)
-Where? -Babson Creek Area
-Political view, not reality
Create Tax Increment Financing policy that will help recruit new business development
-Yes (3)
Invest in infrastructure & service improvements that will improve the quality of life during peak summer months.
-No, switches orientation of services etc to summer colony
Quantify demand for new parking facilies and create plan to mitigate this demand
-No new parking!
-No new parking (or very little in essential/hazardous places)
-Yes
-Parking policy needed in ordinance –mixed-use, commercial, high-density
Create sidewalk management plan that would improve existing network & expand network to connect neighborhoods, villages, facilities, etc.
-Yes! (3)
Make infrastructure improvements & service improvements to NEH marina so that it retains status as top harbor for visiting pleasure craft
-Keep other harbors affordable for year-round residents
-It is top harbor by nature, not infrastructure
-Desparately needs dredging, $8 mil +
-No, convert to fishing, year-round jobs
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