February 13, 2013 BERLIN – On Tuesday, Feb. 5, the city planning board met with members of the Main Street Program to discuss ways to make Main Street friendlier to the public. The main discussion was over whether or not building owners and business owners should have architectural and other regulations that appeal to Main Street customers in an effort to create a traditional Main Street image.
Sylvia Poulin, director of The Main Street Program, stated her concerns about businesses that do not allow public access through a Main Street entrance, block their windows, and who turn their backs on working with the program. Part of the program's intention is to revise the appearance of Main Street and make it more appealing and friendly to the public. The program works hand in hand with the Moving Downtown Forward Initiative.
The Bickford Place building, which was formerly occupied by Rite Aid and will soon be home to Family Dollar Store, was one of the buildings that Poulin expressed concern about. She said that there has been a lot of discussion from business owners about having public access entranceways on Main Street. The entranceway to the Bickford Place building is on the side where Bickford Park is located. The building's door on Main Street has been blocked, as well as windows throughout.
Pamela Laflamme, city planner, stated that, currently, there is nothing stopping businesses from doing this. Furthermore, a new developer owns the Bickford Place building, and tenants of the building must comply with the owner's requests. She also stated that requirements for one building would not make it a site plan regulation. Businesses cannot block more than 33 percent of their windows, but they are inclined to block them and to put their entranceways where they want, she said. Lucy Remilard, board member and councilor, said that any building on Main Street should have a Main Street address, and therefore have a Main Street entrance. Laflamme pointed out that no state emergency code disallows a main side entrance.
Tom McCue, board member, suggested that building codes should be amended and guidelines should be designed and passed as regulations. "We should build to suit," he said and Remilard agreed.
Poulin recommended that business owners and building owners should meet with the planning board and other committees to create communication between them and the city and that there should be a "proactive approach rather than a reactive approach." Laflamme said that a site plan review for building owners is not required but "negotiating and establishing a definition of structural image" is an option.
Board member Martha Creegan said that such definition should not be based on what one person thinks is an appealing image. "What is beautiful to one person may not be to others," she said. "Are windows and doors our only concern?" she asked. "Do we need to define what our image of Berlin is?"
The meeting was concluded on the decision that the city should look to what other communities have done. "It's been a while since we looked at our regulations," said Laflamme. At the same time, she mentioned that flexibility should be given to entrepreneurs and building regulations should be reasonable and affordable to buyers.
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