Mount Desert Planning Board Approves Seal Harbor Retaining Wall

The Mount Desert Planning Board approved a conditional use application for a seven foot eight inch retaining wall at 10 Steamboat Wharf Road in Seal Harbor. A fence application at 6 Whoville Way was removed from the board's jurisdiction after the applicant changed the design, and a Burson application was tabled to the October 14 meeting.

Key points

• The board approved conditional use application 3b for Bright Owl LLC, agent Rob Krieg of the Lark Studio, to build a seven foot eight inch retaining wall at 10 Steamboat Wharf Road in Seal Harbor, exceeding the code enforcement officer's authority.
• The board found the application complete, used the short form review process, and voted to approve after reviewing sections 6A, 6B, 6C, and the shoreline standards in section 5.9.
• A fence application at 6 Whoville Way in Seal Harbor was dropped from the agenda after the applicant replaced the solid fence with a screening that is 51 percent open, which does not meet the town's definition of a fence, removing it from the board's jurisdiction.
• The Burson application was tabled to the October 14 meeting because items were missing from the application and the applicant could not submit them in time; the town will re-advertise and send new notices.
• No members of the public spoke during the public comment period on the retaining wall application.
• The board discussed a busy October 14 agenda that includes a subdivision amendment, two new ordinances, and five conditional use applications, including work on Jordan Pond Road, a Grayline LLC construction business, a pier replacement, and the Northeast Harbor Tennis Club.

Next steps

• The chair and the town planner will confer about the October 14 agenda and may move some applications to a later meeting.
• The Burson application will be re-advertised and heard on October 14.
• Anyone with questions about the 6 Whoville Way screening was encouraged to contact the code enforcement officer.

Read the full transcript