Council Master Plan Review Begins, Street-Opening Moratorium Mulled

STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Council’s June 6 work session provided information on the start of a process for the required examination of its master plan due at the end of next year. 
Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour said that two members of council would join the new planning subcommittee charged with the task. Those members are Joselyn Rich and Charles Krafczek.
State law requires a periodic reexamination of master plans and development regulations. 
The reexamination report can recommend changes to the master plan itself as well as zoning and site plan ordinances. State law sets specific reexamination report requirements.
A major activity in the reexamination is the realignment, if necessary, of objectives related to land use in the municipality. That includes any significant changes in assumptions and/or policies.
The subcommittee is just beginning its work. 
Other council members were advised to get concerns and ideas to Rich and Krafczek. The final responsibility for the reexamination report rests with the Planning Board.
Work also continues on the borough-wide revaluation of home and property values.
Council heard a report that the work is on schedule. The completion date for the revaluation is this November. The objective is to have the new assessments used for the 2018 tax process.
Valet Parking?
In another related discussion to land use planning and property assessment, council also discussed the parking problem.
One suggestion was the use of some form of valet parking concept near the business district.
The thrust of that discussion was to have the borough enter into an arrangement with a third-party provider of valet services that could take advantage of evening underutilized lots blocks from the business area.
Davies-Dunhour seemed to favor entering into discussions with potential contractors and having the experts tell the borough how they would propose making such a scheme work.
Street Openings
A work session discussion was held on a new length of time for open street moratoriums.
The current ordinance set a moratorium on street opening at five years after major road improvement by the borough was completed. The fact that the borough is providing conduits and hook-ups for new development when completing new road work means that council members want to extend the moratorium.
“We are providing the hookups for new construction so the need for opening the streets up again should be much reduced,” Rich said.
Council was considering moving from five years to seven on the open street moratorium.
Both Rich and Krafczek appeared to convince most of the others to seriously consider 10 years as the time frame.
“Our roads just don’t get much wear and tear for big parts of the year,” Rich noted. 
Any move to alter the existing moratorium will require an ordinance change and a public hearing.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.