We begin with the Working Waterfront Access Pilot Project. Jim Connors, senior planner for the Maine Coastal Program and an active supporter of working waterfront access in Maine, is joined by Eileen Sewall, wife of fisherman Mark Sewall and advocate for preservation Maine's working waterfront.
Jim begins by explaining what the Working Waterfront Pilot Program is and how it works. The program provides funds to help purchase, preserve and protect key properties on the coast that provide access to and support commercial fishing activities. More specifically, when a project is funded the Department of Marine Resources, which administers the program along with the Land for Maine's Future Program, holds a deed that prohibits any conflicting non-fishery land use. Jim notes that Maine has lost 20% of its working waterfront in the past ten years, making this public access to the coast an important factor in the continued vitality of Maine's fishing industry.
Eileen Sewall provides some background on public access in York explaining that traditionally public access for commercial fishermen was secured through informal agreements with private landowners. Over time these agreements expired (public access points were sold, fishermen passed away, and landowners developed the property) threatening the livelihood of fishermen who need docks to land their catch and tie up their boats, and shorefront space to store their equipment. However, Eileen says programs like the Working Waterfront Access Pilot Project are slowly helping fishermen regain public access to the York waterfront.
Examples of the Working Waterfront Access Pilot Projects Successes:
Sewall Bridge Dock: This project began with the purchase of a pier by two fishermen (paid $300,000 of the $710,000 asking price), including Eileen's husband, and sold a conservation easement to the York Land Trust (paid $410,000 for the easement, which went to cover the rest of the purchase cost). While the fishermen retain ownership of the property, the easement protects the property from development.
Hancock Wharf: The dock itself was initially in disrepair, however, through the sale of an easement to the state the fishermen were able to purchase the land, repair the dock, and the wharf will remain a working waterfront in perpetuity. Eileen thanks the Working Waterfront Coalition for recognizing that even though this dock can only support three fishing boats, the project is still important.
Jim mentions that there is a bill sponsored by Tom Allen to create a federal program based on Maine's Working Waterfront Coalition. He notes that although it is unlikely that it will get through this session it is an example of how Maine is a leader in working waterfront issues.
Next, Jim introduces Bill Healey, the tax assessor for the towns of Cumberland and Yarmouth Maine, to talk about the Current Use Taxation Program. Bill says that the most difficult task of a tax assessor working with the Working Waterfront Access Project is valuing the property for tax purposes. He explains that the law gives us a few choices for valuing property each of which imposes a significant tax burden on the fishermen. Under one scenario, Bill's valuation of the land did not provide the family with enough tax savings to support use of the Program. His idea to segregate the property into non-waterfront as well as waterfront land helped lower the assessed value and thus improved the tax benefit to the landowner under the Working Waterfront program.
Although this decision has yet to be challenged, Bill believes that it comports with the spirit and the letter of the Current Use Taxation Program. Bill points to the intent of the law: to the provide a break to families using their property as working waterfront, explaining that this approach fulfilled the purpose of the statute and allowed one Maine family to continue to earn their livelihood by lobstering.
Q: What is the water amenity classification?
A: The waterfront amenity classification provides all the benefits of waterfront without actually owning the land in front of you.
Q: Have anyone other property owners on Chebeague applied to the program?
A: No, but not because they do not qualify. Usually people do not apply because they do not want to get the government involved in how they use their private property.
Next: New information and tools
1 comment:
I'd like to know more about the Hancock Wharf project that was shared by Eileen Sewall.
Post a Comment