E-bikes, Restaurants, Cottages, and Dentists:
Design Review Board Approves of Multiple Changes
BAR HARBOR—In a quick 45-minute meeting Thursday, August 10, the Design Review Board approved multiple changes to signs or awnings or approved new signs.
The group also elected its officers.
Barbara Sassaman was unanimously returned to the chair. New member Erin Cough was unanimously elected in as vice chair. Andrea Lepcio was unanimously returned to the secretary position. Cough replaces Francis “Pancho” Cole as vice chair.
CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS
The board unanimously handed out multiple certificates of appropriateness for area businesses. A certificate of appropriateness is about the external appearance of a location and when given out, means that the town approves the work or changes done on those buildings that are under the Design Review Board’s jurisdiction.
Caroline Kolman of Restaurant Realty, LLC asked for new sign and window decals at 74 Cottage Street, Brassiere Le Brun. She was filling in for Kat Dougan. The flat sign is canvas in a stretch frame above the door.
Christopher Kain, on behalf of Nicholas Roy, DMD asked for a certificate of appropriateness for a sign of the same change to add the name of the doctors who work in the practice. It’s a year-round sign for the practice at 1357 State Highway 102. Sassaman said she was a patient of the practice and asked if she should recuse herself. The board decided unanimously that she did not have a conflict of interest.
Acadia Woods Cottages, LLC’s Christy Seed asked for changes in a sign or awning at 1344 State Highway 102. The application is for a sign and fence that aren’t visible from Route 102. There is a sign for Acadia Wellness Center and Acadia Woods Cottage where the existing sign is.
There was some discussion if the cottages’ signs were in the purview of the Design Review Board. They are not visible from the road.
Greg Johnston represented SWH Realty Holdings, LLC’s property at 20 State Highway 3. The door color changed from green to red, which was not the same as the original certificate and the awnings involved were not specified previously.
Robin Williams, 1 Dewey Street, installation for a sign and awnings for new sign for a business, Acadia Ebikes.
She’s asking for one double-sided sign to replace the bookshop’s sign. The building can have multiple tenants. However, there are no signs on the building other than hers. The group first moved that there is no current need for a multi-tenant signage plan necessary for the site. Then it approved Williams’ sign. If any other tenant comes forward, the property owner would have to come before the board before any other signs are added to the building.
APPENDIX A
Planner Cali Martinez is working on the draft warrant language for Appendix A, which is the list of historic properties in the design review overlay district. An overlay district is a zoning district that is “layered” over other districts or a district and creates more regulations for that area.
After Martinez is done with the draft language, most likely this week, she’ll then get feedback from Gagnon and Code Enforcement Officer Angie Chamberlain and then present it to the board.
The goal is for it to be completed and ready to go before voters in June 2024. It needs to be brought to the Planning Board for review in November. It will go for a public meeting at the Planning Board in December.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
Sassaman said she’d like to go through the checklist about appropriateness ahead of the meeting individually and asked that the town staff send out that checklist with the application for projects that might need one. Then, at the meeting, members can focus on topics that concern them.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
https://www.barharbormaine.gov/271/Design-Review-Board
https://www.barharbormaine.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08102023-3259