CAMDEN, Maine — The town is presenting its first new subdivision ordinance in 23 years tonight at a public hearing.
The planning board has scheduled a hearing for 6 p.m. at the Washington Street Conference Room to air the proposed subdivision ordinance, as well as three separate zoning ordinance amendments and the application by Verizon Wireless for a new telecommunications tower on town-owned land off Sagamore Farm Road.
“The planning board worked for a year on the subdivision ordinance,” said Town Planner Jeff Nims on Tuesday. “It would completely replace the existing ordinance adopted in 1985.”
A change in the proposed regulations allows for major and minor subdivisions, Nims said. A minor subdivision, which usually means one with no new roads, would have a simpler review process than the one provided in the current ordinance, Nims said.
A major subdivision has roads and would restrict the width of private roads to 16 feet, which is still wider than the 14 foot minimum allowed by the state, Nims said.
A proposed requirement for a town-accepted road, however, is a minimum 20-foot width with a 50-foot right of way.
That means a 16-foot road in a subdivision could never be accepted by the town and would have to be maintained privately, Nims added.
The meeting also will be holding its required public hearing on Verizon Wireless’ site plan for coming back to the town for the first time since winter. Voters at a Jan. 17 special town meeting approved installation of a 120-foot cell phone tower and related support buildings on a town-owned, 100-foot by 100-foot lot adjacent to Sagamore Farm Road off Route 1 north.
Verizon has proposed a lease with the town for up to 25 years at the initial rate of $14,400 per year, with 15 percent rental increases for each successive five-year term.
In addition to receiving voters’ permission for the tower, Verizon Wireless must apply for permits through the Camden planning board and satisfy all criteria under the existing ordinances of the town before construction, said Nims.
Three separate zoning ordinances, including a permitted use for existing mobile home parks, also will be presented at the hearing. There will be a review of an updated official zoning map approved by voters at the annual town meting in June and a new digitized zoning map B, depicting existing development, the harbor line and wharf line of the inner harbor.
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