Opinion ID: 2156585
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Building Permit

Text: [¶ 17] The ZBA affirmed the building permit granted by the CEO. It concluded that the elevation requirement of the LUO is not applicable to the Steinglasses' plan for the boathouse. The ZBA held that the requirement of the LUO pertained only to new structures, and not to the Steinglasses' plan to lift and renovate the boathouse. [¶ 18] The disputed section of the LUO, section 1415.3, reads, in part: 1. All new principal and accessory structures, and sidewalks and patios, shall be set back a minimum of one hundred (100) feet from the normal high-water line.... 2. Principal or accessory structures and expansions of existing structures shall not exceed thirty-four (34) feet in height.... 3. The first floor elevation or openings of all buildings and structures, including basements ... shall be elevated at least one foot above the elevation of the 100-year flood.... Rockport, Me., Land Use Ordinance § 1415.3 (June 11, 2002) (emphasis added). [¶ 19] If section 1415.3(3) applies to the boathouse, it will have to be elevated to twenty-one feet above sea level, instead of the planned fifteen feet. Although subsection (1) above applies to new structures, subsection (3) applies to all structures. The plain meaning of the subsection is clear. The requirement of one-foot above the one hundred-year flood elevation applies to all structures. The ZBA erred in concluding otherwise. The entry is: Judgment vacated. Case remanded to the Superior Court to enter judgment vacating the decisions of the Rockport Zoning Board of Appeals.