A developer’s plans to divide a scenic blueberry barren in Blue Hill into nine house lots has met a backlash from people who want the property to remain as it is.
Opponents have formed a group called Save the Blueberry Barrens in an attempt to prevent houses from being built on the 32-acre property, which abuts Route 172 and overlooks tidal Salt Pond.
The scenic site has drawn wildlife, hunters and landscape painters over many years, becoming a place that area residents feel a connection with and want to preserve, critics say.
“We’re going to lose the special sites we have if we don’t protect them,” said Larry Lefkowitz, a member of the opposition group who lives next to the barrens. “It is going to change the nature of this place.”
The controversy reflects a tension in communities across much of Maine, between developers who want to meet the high demand for housing and residents who argue that growth might diminish the appeal of their communities. Objections to such developments often include concerns about congestion, potential harm to infrastructure and resources, and destruction of wildlife habitat.
While many of Maine’s controversial housing developments have been close to established population centers, the debate over the Blue Hill project stands out because it’s on a rural peninsula where opponents have expressed concerns more unique to that setting, such as that it will exacerbate the intrusion of saltwater into drinking water supplies and compete with fishing access.
While Blue Hill is rural, it has not escaped the housing crunch affecting much of Maine’s coast.
Housing development has slowed in the town over the last few decades, but officials estimate that 80 new units will be needed to accommodate local population growth between 2020 and 2040, according to a draft of the town’s comprehensive plan, which is being updated this year.
At each of the local planning board’s past two meetings, one held in August and one this month, more than 100 people showed up mainly to criticize the subdivision proposal. No decision is imminent, however, as the board has said it plans to solicit independent expert information on what impacts the development would have — a process that is expected to last into 2025.
The board is concerned about whether the development might affect groundwater and the water quality of Salt Pond, which is used for cultivating and harvesting bivalve shellfish such as clams and scallops, according to Code Enforcement Officer Bryce Farnham. Stormwater runoff across the barrens, where pesticides were used in the past, feasibly could cause erosion issues, she said.
The pond is tidal, with water flowing directly in from Blue Hill Bay, and some nearby residents are having issues with their water quality, Farnham said.
“There is already saltwater intrusion in some of the neighboring wells,” she said.
The town hopes to consult with the state departments of environmental protection and marine resources, as well as with consulting engineers, to get more information, Farnham said.
The chairman of the town’s planning board and developers behind the proposed subdivision did not respond to requests for comment.
In addition to erosion and groundwater concerns, opponents also argue that the subdivision could disturb surrounding wildlife.
Carleton Stream, which empties into Salt Pond directly in front of the project site, is popular with elver fishermen in the spring, and the tidal flats along the shore are frequented by clamdiggers, according to Amy Brubaker. The pond also attracts migrating birds, horseshoe crabs, bald eagles, and other wildlife, she said.
“Blasting [for development of the house sites] will disturb that for sure,” Brubaker said.
