Thank goodness this passed! As for the negative comments from developers -- Coston can still pay his employees with his existing businesses and St.Germain (and Coston) has the freedom to go into Ellsworth and surrounding areas and develop them. Nothing is stopping them in those areas. The middle class is already getting hit. I can't afford my land taxes now.... much of it goes to support the Bar Harbor infrastructure that developers reap the benefits from. I do not.
You should be pointing your interest at ANP. It's not the developers. We as a town are the gateway to ANP. People are coming in droves as long as ANP is there. We support it with no kick back from the federal government. Just wait till they decide to widen rt 3. That's gonna be at the cost of the local taxpayer
Thank BSJ and commenters for Excellent coverage of this moratorium development. Many of us see that the way for a strong and positive community for all members is to have balance: neither an all tourism economy or a no tourism economy would be good for Bar Harbor. Some tourism balanced by year round businesses and nonprofits with an emphasis on affordable housing for year round residents , not just seasonal lodging for tourism employees will keep Bar Harbor
A thriving town.
Steven Coston and Tom St. Germain can currently build all the legally permitted structured summer tourism businesses they wish to do .
What residents are objecting to is where and how many hotels are going that are particularly noxious to those impacted. Coston and St. Germain are not forced to build anything. They could listen to their neighbors, instead of their me, me, me, all for Me mentality. It really boils down to being a thoughtful member of a community for all citizens, not just a few corporate developers out for their bottom lines.
Coston mentioned the $232,000 payroll he just made to his employees who rely on jobs in his inns and hotels. “Do you not care about these people? Do you not care?”
How is a moratorium hurting these employees? No one is trying to shut down Mr Coston’s existing properties. What we don’t want is new hotels just feet away from our schools or more lost residential units.
Bar Harbor needs to continue working with the other towns and existing hotels - especially on transportation. The hotels here could greatly improve the visitor experience if they found a way to develop direct to hotel airport shuttles to encourage visitors to not bring their cars. With that in place, a free town shuttle that just looped through town could make their vacations much better. Many of my best vacations are ones that do not include rental cars - so how does that happen here?
Thank goodness this passed! As for the negative comments from developers -- Coston can still pay his employees with his existing businesses and St.Germain (and Coston) has the freedom to go into Ellsworth and surrounding areas and develop them. Nothing is stopping them in those areas. The middle class is already getting hit. I can't afford my land taxes now.... much of it goes to support the Bar Harbor infrastructure that developers reap the benefits from. I do not.
You should be pointing your interest at ANP. It's not the developers. We as a town are the gateway to ANP. People are coming in droves as long as ANP is there. We support it with no kick back from the federal government. Just wait till they decide to widen rt 3. That's gonna be at the cost of the local taxpayer
Thank BSJ and commenters for Excellent coverage of this moratorium development. Many of us see that the way for a strong and positive community for all members is to have balance: neither an all tourism economy or a no tourism economy would be good for Bar Harbor. Some tourism balanced by year round businesses and nonprofits with an emphasis on affordable housing for year round residents , not just seasonal lodging for tourism employees will keep Bar Harbor
A thriving town.
Steven Coston and Tom St. Germain can currently build all the legally permitted structured summer tourism businesses they wish to do .
What residents are objecting to is where and how many hotels are going that are particularly noxious to those impacted. Coston and St. Germain are not forced to build anything. They could listen to their neighbors, instead of their me, me, me, all for Me mentality. It really boils down to being a thoughtful member of a community for all citizens, not just a few corporate developers out for their bottom lines.
Coston mentioned the $232,000 payroll he just made to his employees who rely on jobs in his inns and hotels. “Do you not care about these people? Do you not care?”
How is a moratorium hurting these employees? No one is trying to shut down Mr Coston’s existing properties. What we don’t want is new hotels just feet away from our schools or more lost residential units.
Bar Harbor needs to continue working with the other towns and existing hotels - especially on transportation. The hotels here could greatly improve the visitor experience if they found a way to develop direct to hotel airport shuttles to encourage visitors to not bring their cars. With that in place, a free town shuttle that just looped through town could make their vacations much better. Many of my best vacations are ones that do not include rental cars - so how does that happen here?