Blue Hill seeks state permit to expand public parking area

BLUE HILL – The town will seek a state environmental permit to expand the public parking area at the town landing off Water Street.

The expansion would take place to the right of the existing parking area near where a small brook enters Blue Hill Harbor, according to Selectman Jim Schatz. The area in question is next to the town launch ramp and would create up to 10 new parking spaces for the people who use the ramp, said Steve DeWick, an engineer with Pine Tree Engineering who is working with the town on the project.

The project would require filling approximately 3,500 square feet of wetlands, DeWick said Wednesday, which is why the town needs an alteration permit from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The launch ramp and town landing are used by local fishermen and by recreational boaters, who also use the existing parking spaces. The fact that the new spaces would be marine related, could give the project a leg up in the application process, which might face some resistance from the department, DeWick said.

Although the focus of the project is to provide parking for the town landing, it could have additional benefits for the general public, he said. Although there has been no formal parking analysis done on the village area, DeWick said those using the landing also may be parking in other public spots. By creating new spaces, he said, the town may free up some of those spaces.

“We really don’t have much public parking in the village,” Schatz said this week. “We felt that having increased parking would be beneficial not only for the working waterfront aspect of it, but also others who want to visit the village.

The application is ready to be submitted to DEP. The town doesn’t have a price tag for the project yet, but if the permit process goes well, the new spaces could be created before the end of the year.