ROCKLAND, Maine — A six-month moratorium on new buildings taller than 50 feet in certain downtown neighborhoods ended Tuesday.
And an effort to enact more restrictive height limits failed to gain traction, leaving city laws unchanged.
The moratorium was put in place by councilors last summer after approval in June by the Rockland Planning Board of a five-story hotel at the intersection of Main and Pleasant streets. The hotel will stand at 57 feet with the elevator shaft reaching 61 feet and solar panels rising to 70 feet. The height limit in the downtown is 65 feet, but solar panels are allowed to be up to 75 feet.
Some neighbors opposed the project, saying it was out of character with the neighboring residences.
Councilors split on a 3-2 vote last summer to impose the moratorium that was aimed at giving the comprehensive planning committee time to develop recommended changes that would then go back to the council.
On Monday night, councilors unanimously rejected without debate a proposal that would have limited new buildings to 50 feet or four stories south of Park Street and Park Drive in the downtown zone.
In other actions Monday night, the council directed the city manager to present a recommendation on how to deal with the financial woes that are plaguing the 1 Park Drive condominium association where the Rockland Police Department is located. The financial problems are the result of the Maine Lighthouse Museum’s failure to pay its condo fees during the past six years.
The council vote specified that the options could include the city trying to acquire the museum’s condo space or to selling the city’s unit.
The city, museum and the Festival Corporation purchased the building in 2007. The lighthouse museum occupies the most square footage — 50 percent of the building — and has the largest share of condo costs. The city owns 30 percent of the building, and the Festival Corp. owns 20 percent.