City of Bangor | City Services, Land and Building: Planning

The primary mission of the Planning Division is to promote and implement City policies and programs that conserve public resources, preserve the character of the community, and enhance the quality of life of our citizens through long-range planning, coordinating and guiding development, and providing research and technical assistance.

THE PLANNING BOARD

The City’s Planning Board consists of five regular members and three associate members appointed by the City Council. Each member serves for a three year term. The Board is charged with developing the City’s comprehensive plan, making recommendations on rezoning requests, and approving subdivisions and site plans.

The Planning Board meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the 3rd floor of Bangor City Hall.

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COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING

Essential to our mission is the preparation and maintenance of the City’s Comprehensive plan. The City of Bangor has been involved in comprehensive planning for over three decades. Bangor’s current planning efforts grew out of the desire for planned growth and a local concern for the environment in the late 1960’s. The City adopted its first Comprehensive Plan in 1968. The 1968 Plan was the basic document that served as a development guide for Bangor throughout the 1970’s. The City adopted an Updated Master Plan for land use in 1974.

A Comprehensive Plan Committee was established in 1989 to oversee the development of the first major

Comprehensive Plan Revision and to provide leadership in the citizen participation process. At the same time, the Council adopted a Citizen Participation Program. This program included a number of components and tasks including a community wide survey conducted in 1989 that was designed to solicit residents’ opinions on many planning issues.

In June 1990, the City Council adopted the Bangor Comprehensive Plan Update, a major revision of the 1968 Plan intended to address the City’s rapid growth during the 1980’s. A major revision of Bangor’s Land Development Code was also undertaken following adoption of the Plan Update. The current Land Development Code was adopted in 1991.

In order to remain current and adjust to changing conditions, the City’s plan was once again revised and updated in 2000, and such updates will continue on an every five year schedule. The City’s Plan includes descriptions and analyses of existing conditions and specific "planning elements" that address housing, economic development, community services, transportation systems, physical development, fiscal policy, historical and archeological resources, natural resources, and State and regional considerations, along with an Implementation Strategy and Action Program.

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ZONING

One of the City’s major planning tools is its zoning ordinance. This ordinance outlines the types of land uses permitted in various locations throughout the City. Zones range from single-family residential to high intensity commercial and industrial. The overall intent of zoning is to insure the compatibility of land uses throughout Bangor. Zoning also provides a measure of predictability to land owners or potential land owners by providing them with information regarding the types of uses permitted on their property as well as on surrounding properties. Potential property owners are advised to check both the City’s Zoning District Map and Comprehensive Plan to determine what types of development are currently allowed or may be allowed in the future.

A property owner may apply for a zone change by submitting a zone change application to the Planning Office, located on the second floor of Bangor City Hall, along with the established processing fee and a newspaper advertising fee. Any zone change request must comply with the provisions of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

Once a zone change application has been received, it is placed on the City Council agenda for first reading and referral to the Planning Board where a public hearing is scheduled. Adjacent property owners are sent notices of the proposed change, and both opponents and proponents have the opportunity to speak at the public hearing. The Planning Board then makes a recommendation to the City Council based on the City’s Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan. The City Council then votes to either approve or reject the proposed zone change request. If approved, the change becomes effective ten days after Council action.

Applicants and potential applicants are urged to meet with Planning staff in advance of any formal request for a zone change.

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LAND DEVELOPMENT PERMIT

Many development projects also require a permit and/or Planning Board approval. These include, but are not necessarily limited to, subdivisions, mobile home parks, site plans for non-residential buildings, any conditional use permitted under the zoning ordinance, any change in use of a nonconforming use, off-street parking lots with 20 or more spaces, and certain projects involving grading and filling land. Property owners are urged to contact Code Enforcement to determine whether a permit is required for a particular project.

Initial application for a land development permit is made at the Code Enforcement Office located on the first floor of City Hall.

Once an application and the necessary plans and documents have been received, Code Enforcement will conduct a preliminary review and notify the applicant of any deficiencies. The application and plans are then forwarded to the Planning and Engineering Offices for further review.

Certain plans require the approval of the Planning Board. In those instances, the application and plans are placed on the Planning Board agenda and adjacent property owners are notified of the meeting. Within twenty-one days of the time final approval of a land development permit is before the Planning Board, the Board must approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the request. Once approved, the Code Enforcement Office is notified and the necessary permit is issued.

Projects over a certain size also require review under the Maine Site Location of Development Act. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has granted the City the authority to review most projects requiring such a permit. These permits may require additional information from applicants, and Code Enforcement and Planning staff are prepared to work with applicants to insure that all information is available. In most instances, the Planning Board can act on both local and state permits at the same meeting.

CONTACT US

For more information about the Planning Division,

EMAIL US at planning@bangormaine.gov

CALL US at 207-992-4280

FAX US at 207-945-4447

OR VISIT US on the second floor of City Hall

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