These ordinances are so simple any dummy can understand them.
Why can't the MMA Board of Trustees?
The fuss is about how the MMA Board of Trustees, once again making a secret, unilateral decision without consulting the town, voted unanimously to violate Castine's zoning ordinances. In doing so, the Board is threatening Castine's heritage, the town's most valuable asset. The key paragraph from the zoning ordinances is
4.2.6. Institutional Development District
The purpose of the Institutional Development District is to provide for the public health, safety, environmental quality and economic well-being of the community; to limit the further expansion of existing institutional development into adjacent high-density residential areas, and to preserve the unique architectural, historic and scenic characteristics of the Town.
And where is the Institutional Development district?
4.4.19. Institutional Development District
Beginning at the intersection of the centerlines of Pleasant Street and Stevens Street; thence northeasterly on Stevens Street to a point on the centerline a distance of 150 feet from the centerline of Main Street; thence northwesterly running parallel to and 150 feet from the centerline of Main Street to a point 150 feet from the centerline of Battle Avenue; thence southwesterly running parallel to and 150 feet from the centerline of Battle Avenue to a point 150 feet from the centerline of Tarratine Street; thence southeasterly running parallel to and 150 feet from the centerline of Tarratine Street; thence northeasterly running parallel to and 150 feet from the centerline of Court Street to a point 150 feet from the centerline of Pleasant Street; thence northwesterly running parallel to and 150 feet from the centerline of Pleasant Street to a point 150 feet southwesterly of the intersection of the centerline of Stevens Street and Pleasant Street; thence northerly in a straight line to the point of the beginning.
In other words, within the current MMA footprint.
Why are hundreds of Castine citizens upset? We have been moved to organize because the MMA Board of Trustees has challenged the very ordinance that was designed to restrict the Academy's growth into Castine's residential areas. As you can read in the Letters section of this website, the town of Castine has a long history and its houses, streets, open spaces, woods, and shoreline are all part of that heritage. Most of the town's income is from tourism and anything that endangers this heritage is cause for alarm. The Board of Trustees wants to expand and in moving illegally into residential areas, it threatens the very heart of the town.
To download Castine's zoning ordinances or the zoning map, click below
Castine_Zoning Ordinance
