ELLSWORTH – The holiday season and a much-needed break can’t come soon enough for the seven members of the city’s planning board.

Since July, the panel has been working overtime, meeting an average of twice each month even though the regular schedule calls for only one meeting.

An influx of development, both commercial and residential, has kept the volunteer board working late into the evening on several Wednesday nights at City Hall.

“It’s not unprecedented,” planning board Chairman John Fink said of the extra meetings. “My idea is that each applicant should be treated the same and be treated fairly. There are certain things regarding a public hearing that need to be done on our end.”

Of the nearly 30 projects the planning board has weighed in on since July 1, the largest is a 15-building, 26-store shopping center planned for the Route 1-Route 3 triangle.

W/S Development Associates of Chestnut Hill, Mass., first came before the panel earlier this year with the second phase of its Acadia Crossing shopping center.

At a Dec. 13 meeting, the project is scheduled for final approval, perhaps giving the planning board a deserved respite.

“When that project is done, that will certainly change things rapidly,” said Jef Fitzgerald, assistant city planner. “I’m sure there are a lot of people who are hoping that’s the case.”

The board also has a meeting on Dec. 6 to discuss recurring city projects that have been opposed by some residents. Projects facing opposition include a 29-unit apartment complex planned near downtown and another eight-unit apartment project that has created a rift in a longtime residential neighborhood.

“Any number of us have voted for things that we didn’t like or didn’t agree with,” Fink said. “But our obligation is to the ordinances and the completeness of the applications.”

Despite the rush of projects, city staff said there are no immediate plans to change the frequency of meetings as 2007 approaches.

“There is no real policy,” Fitzgerald said. “We plan to carry on and do what is needed, understanding that it might require a special meeting from time to time.”

The board, whose members are not paid, is charged with reviewing proposed subdivisions and conditional use permits and is responsible for zone changes and ordinance amendments.

For the 2005 fiscal year, the board reviewed 26 project proposals and approved 109 subdivision lots and almost 100,000 square feet of commercial space.

For fiscal year 2006, which is less than six months old, the panel already has heard as many project proposals as the previous year, including Acadia Crossing and its nearly 500,000 square feet of retail space, which has drawn a great deal of public interest.

“The chairman has said that he wants to give everyone a chance to voice their opinion,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s a credit to their patience.”

Planning boards in similar-size Maine communities such as Orono, Old Town, Rockland and Brewer meet once a month.

Bangor, the second-largest city in the state, is the only community in the area that meets twice a month to discuss planning issues.

Before July, Ellsworth’s planning board hadn’t met twice in one month since April 2005.

“So far, it hasn’t become an issue,” Fink said. “As long as we have enough members present for a quorum and we can all get together on a time, we’re going to give each applicant its due course.”