Representatives from North Star Planning made their first appearance in front of the Boothbay Harbor Selectboard after being chosen in May to consult with the town on municipal adherence to LD 2003. Ben Smith and Charles Tetelman spoke to the selectmen about the housing law, how it applies to Boothbay Harbor and what ordinances they think may need changing to meet the July 1 deadline.  

“We want to be able to understand the implications and be able to make the right decisions where we are allowed to by the state,” Selectboard Chair Michael Tomko said. 

SelectmanAlyssa Allen added that the goal is to be compliant, and Selectman Mark Gimbel said Boothbay Harbor is no large city, and the board thought there have to be different perspectives on LD 2003 for small communities. 

Smith gave a brief overview on the law and outlined three basic requirement categories that will apply: affordable housing density bonuses, multiple dwelling units on residential lots, and accessory dwelling units. However, he said the affordable density bonus may be less applicable to Boothbay Harbor and the town is already largely consistent with multiple dwelling requirements. He said most of the work would be around Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). 

Tetelman then gave a more detailed rundown of suggestions for changes to the town’s ordinances. He said the approach at this stage was not to look at what’s best, but what is compliant with LD 2003 and what comparable towns have done. He and the board discussed issues including dimensional requirements for lots, parking standards and how to handle vacant lots.  

Much of the discussion was around ADUs, and Tetelman said the town can have a lot of control over how they are dealt with in regards to LD 2003. He said they still need to meet code and be livable “but there is definitely a lot of room for the town and community to work within that framework.” 

Selectman Mark Osborn brought up short-term rentals. He said he owns some vacation rentals and isn't against them, but the current language allows for the possibility that ADUs could be used as short term rentals, missing the point. “Creating 50 new short-term rentals doesn't really get us very far with affordable housing,” he said.  

However, the consultants expressed some hesitancy to address short term rentals alongside LD 2003, saying they may not align and could open up issues on how the town would enforce ordinances.  

In other business, the board unanimously granted an oyster lease approval at 176 Samoset Road at Bottle Cove. David Phinney presented the issue to the board on behalf of owner Carleton Yentsch for a 1.11-acre lease that he said should help grow around 100,000 oysters a year through suspended culture. Phinney said the application was initially started in February 2022 with the Department of Marine Resources, which also released an April 29 site report. According to Phinney, the agency declared some locations were intertidal and the selectboard’s permission was needed. 

The board approved named Barclay Shepard the newest Boston Post Cane holder. The last holder, Paul B. Adams, died earlier this year.