Town of Scarborough

Board & Committee Newsletter

The Town of Scarborough has several citizen-led boards and committees working to enhance our community. Their efforts are guided by the expertise of citizen volunteers and have a lasting impact in our town. Read on to see what some of the busier boards and committees have been up to in the past few months. Visit our Boards & Committees page for access to meeting agendas or to apply to fill a vacancy, and use the Town Calendar for a look at recent meetings and links to recordings.

This is a special edition of our regular newsletter. We'll send these periodically for a deeper dive on topics we don't want you to miss.

Planning Board Reviews Notable Projects

At a Glance:

• Marsh Bend Subdivision

• Higgins Beach Market

• Hotel in Cabela's Plaza

• InterMed at The Downs

• FedEx at former Beech Ridge Motor Speedway

The Planning Board has had a busy past few months with some notable projects. In May, the Board approved the Marsh Bend Subdivision, a 10-lot subdivision with 9 new single family homes along Pine Point Road. The project will extend the sidewalk network along Pine Point Road in the area of Dunstan Landing Road and include a landscaped and monumented entrance. The Board also approved the removal and reconstruction of the Higgins Beach Market on Spurwink Road.

They held a joint meeting with the Town Council in June to review a proposal for a hotel in the Cabela’s plaza, which is subject to a Contract Zoning agreement. This project is the first of what are expected to be several further projects filling out the expansive parking area in the Cabela’s plaza. This would be the fourth hotel proposed in Scarborough in the last year. Looking ahead, the Board will review proposals for an InterMed surgery center and office at The Downs, and continue to review the proposal by FedEx to develop the former Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. 

A second site plan review was conducted in June for the replacement of the existing Higgins Beach Market. The project was previously before the Planning Board on March for a sketch plan review and the Board requested further information on screening for any hood or HVAC systems and a bike rack to accommodate bicyclists.

Updated Ordinances Improve Process & Sustainability Efforts

The Board has been pleased to work with Town partners, boards, and committees to implement the Comprehensive Plan by updating the Town’s site plan related ordinances. Its consolidation makes the Board’s job much easier and provides clarity of requirements for applicants when proposing development. Additionally, the Town Council approved/adopted updated landscape standards and screening requirements in the Site Plan Review Ordinance, including an updated preferred plant species list. The Board is excited to continue its work to keep Scarborough sustainable and any development in line with clearly defined ordinances and requirements. 

Long Range Planning Committee Reviews Standards

The Long Range Planning Committee is one of the primary committees tasked with implementing the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. They review updates and amendments to municipal ordinances as part of an ordinance consolidation goal within this Plan. Other notable projects include a recommendation on the recently adopted landscape and screening standards, review of site layout requirements, review of draft environmental buffering standards from the Conservation Commission, and a recommendation to update the Town’s requirements for farm stands to support local agriculture and farms seeking to sell farm based products in town. This summer they will review parking standards to reduce unnecessary parking and paved areas.

The Comprehensive Plan outlines a vision for the future of Scarborough. It was completed in June 2021.

Coastal Waters and Harbor Advisory Committee

The Town of Scarborough welcomed new Marine Resource Officer/Harbor Master Daryen Granata in June. He was already active in the Coastal Waters committee, keeping the transition smooth for projects that were already underway.

A focus has been on the expansion of the mooring field to upwards of 25-30 moorings. This was made possible due to a federal dredging project which made more room and reconfiguration efforts to maximize the use of space.

Another accomplishment is a $15,000 Harbor Management Access grant that was recently awarded to replenish the Town’s working waterfront account and will soon be accepted by the Town Council.

"Sunset Pine Point Bay" by William Browning (Summer Photo Contest entry - see more).

The Harbor Master/Marine Resource Officer has a new Facebook page! Follow for updates, images and information on the marine resources and harbor management for the Town of Scarborough.

Shellfish Committee

The Shellfish Committee works on conservation efforts to maintain a sustainable shellfishery. As part of Scarborough's Shellfish Conservation Ordinance, harvesters are required to volunteer their time to protect soft shell clams. Part of that work entails mitigating the invasive green crab population, which has surged and is destructive to Maine's native shellfish populations. The Marine Resource Officer (MRO) and harvesters are in the process of setting up more crab traps—buoys will be branded and tagged for identification. Ten new traps were recently purchased, with a goal to have 20-30 added over the next few years. Anyone who was issued a green crab trap in the past and still has one, please reach out to MRO Granata (dgranata@scarboroughmaine.org) as he does a full inventory.

School Building Advisory Committee Resumes in Fall

In February, the School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) began work on Phase I of the process to find a solution for Scarborough's schools. They developed exploratory concepts for four new school solutions and made their recommendations to the Town Council on June 27 to move the following concepts forward:

Concept 1

Build a fourth primary school: Renovate existing K-2s & add Pre-K

Concept 2

New Grade 2-3 school (consolidated): Existing primary schools become K-1

Concept 3

Preserve the primary schools and Middle School: Build new additions at existing schools

Concept 4

New K-3 community school (consolidated): New build; repurpose existing school buildings

Current costs for these plans are ballpark figures based on best estimates.

The Board of Education unanimously approved the recommendation to move all four concepts forward to Phase II, where they will be thoroughly vetted by professional design and engineering teams. Costs will be validated and land options will be explored during this phase as well. The concepts will likely evolve through the Phase II process, which will begin this fall.

Sustainability Committee Proposed New Ordinance

The Sustainability Committee proposed a Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) ordinance in late 2023, and the Town Council adopted the ordinance in April. The C-PACE ordinance allows commercial property owners access to special financing to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Looking ahead, the committee is in the process of planning Sustainable Scarborough Day, which will be held on October 6, 2024 at Wentworth School. They’ve also requested a reserve account be set up to help fund sustainability projects. The Sustainability Committee hopes to work with the Finance Committee to move the request forward.

Transportation Committee: Study & Traffic Impact Fees

The Transportation Committee continues to review draft sections of the upcoming Townwide Transportation Study, which will be used to identify priorities for future mobility and road safety improvements. The study will cover Vision Zero, high crash locations, bike and pedestrian connectivity to destinations throughout town, and consideration of the latest community survey results. The last Townwide Transportation Study was completed in 2006.

Reimagining Haigis Parkway to provide complete street connection between Route 1 and Payne Road and the Payne Road corridor from Exit 42 to Gorham Road are two potential projects that will be included in the Study. The committee will look at bike and pedestrian connections and safety as part of these projects.

The committee expects to have a full draft from the consultants by the fall. Once all of the pieces of the Townwide Transportation Study have been drafted, a public meeting will be held to review the Study components and get public feedback. From this outreach the Committee will review and incorporate final edits to the Study before presenting to the Town Council for their endorsement.

Over the past few months, the committee has also reviewed the Town's Traffic Calming Request Policy, conceptual plans for reimagining Haigis Parkway, and the updates to the Town's Traffic Impact Fees. The Town's ordinance requires all new development projects to mitigate their traffic impacts. Developers pay their portion of Traffic Impact Fees which contribute to a future road construction project.

Conservation Commission Proposes Environmental Standards

The Commission has proposed environmental standards, which will require setbacks and natural vegetation to protect water resources from development. The environmental standards were presented to the Ordinance Committee in March, and Scarborough Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO) hosted a forum in May to introduce the proposed standards to the development community. A working group of Conservation Commission members and developers will be formed to work collaboratively to refine the standards before they go back to the Ordinance Committee in the fall. 

"Marsh Paddle" by Colleen Mars, entry in our summer photo contest (happening now!)

The PCLB plays a key role in the Town Council’s goal to increase land conservation through their 30x30 initiative (conserving 30% of Scarborough land by 2030). They recommend and advise the Town Council on land acquisitions identified through an evaluation process, but land bond funds are now nearly depleted. The PCLB presented to the Town Council in a July 17 workshop to recommend the replenishment of the land bond at $6 million. The bond was last replenished in 2019 and has supported 20 conservation projects since it was established in 2000. The Town Council will hold a public hearing on August 21 and second reading on the $6 million land bond and its placement on the November ballot.

Pleasant Hill Preserve was one of the purchases made with land bond funds (135 acres, 2014)

The Town Council held a first reading on the land bond ballot placement during their July 17 meeting. Materials in the agenda packet provide more history.

A new ad hoc committee formed in May to support the development of a Conservation Open Space Plan. The committee is working with Viewshed, a Maine-based landscape architecture, GIS, and planning firm, to identify priority areas for future conservation and recreation opportunities. These areas may be undeveloped, adjacent to other conserved lands, or provide important ecological, recreational, or historical benefits. The Plan will ultimately provide the Town with a set of conservation priorities and strategies to achieve the Town’s 30x30 goal by identifying priority areas and their potential for conservation. A draft plan is expected in late fall, and the final plan should be available in winter 2025. 

Share Your Thoughts: July 25th Interactive Public Workshop

Join the Open Space planning team this Thursday, July 25 from 6:00-8:00pm (held at the Public Safety Building) for an interactive workshop to provide feedback. Learn about the planning process and weigh in on the elements you think are most important for land conservation. Bring the family – kids activities will be provided!

Committee members will also be at the August 1st Concert in the Park and August 16th Summerfest to get public feedback to support the plan. Feedback can also be submitted online.

The Ad Hoc Community Center committee has spent the past year reviewing the specifics of a potential future community center. They held their final meeting on July 18 and will give their final presentation to the Town Council on August 21.

The committee worked with architectural consultant UTILE to narrow down the building program (spaces inside the building) and review operational costs and offsetting revenue potential. They also evaluated municipally owned properties for site fitting. They developed an option that is 90% self supporting with revenue, and will share the breakdown in detail as part of their August 21 final presentation.

Members of the design team and committee held an Open House in April for the community to weigh in.

See the project page for more information.

Watch a Committee Meeting

Committee meetings are a great starting point for you to participate in particular topics of interest—they are less formal than Town Council meetings and allow ample opportunity for discussion. Find agendas on each individual webpage (all listed here), tune in on the Town's YouTube channel, or participate in person or on Zoom (link in the agenda). Committee meeting dates are listed on each committee page or on the Town Calendar.

Apply to Join a Committee

We also invite you to consider joining a committee. Your time and expertise would have tremendous impact on the Town. Our municipal government relies on the volunteer service of residents on boards and committees. If you are interested in serving on a committee, apply online today.

The following boards/committees currently have vacancies:

• Long Range Planning Committee

• Coastal Waters & Harbor Advisory Committee

• Shellfish Committee

Applications are reviewed monthly by our Appointments and Negotiations Committee.