February 26
Amid permit battles, the town weighs zoning specifically meant to shield private water views.

By Kelley Bouchard kbouchard@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

FALMOUTH — When Dick and Pat Traynor bought their modest, one-story ranch on a bluff overlooking the Town Landing and Casco Bay in 2010, they anticipated adding a small second story to accommodate visiting children and grandchildren.

click image to enlarge

Dick and Pat Traynor figured the town of Falmouth would let them add a small second story to their ranch house at 20 Burgess St., because theirs was the only one-story home in the neighborhood. They ultimately settled for a ground-floor expansion.

Photos by John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

click image to enlarge

The Traynors’ waterfront lot, which measures less than a third of an acre, has an assessed value of $743,000 – nine times higher than average lots elsewhere in town.

John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

The retired couple figured the town would approve the plan, since theirs was the only house in the waterfront neighborhood that didn’t have a second or third story. They were wrong.

Neighbors who live behind the Traynors fought the expansion plan when it went before the Board of Zoning Appeals. They pointed to the town’s unusual 2006 ban on additions that would have “a significant adverse impact on water views” from nearby properties. The Traynors ultimately withdrew the plan and settled for a much smaller, ground-level expansion.

“It got so acrimonious, we gave up on the idea of having a second story,” Dick Traynor recalled. “Our house is still the runt on the Falmouth waterfront.”

Repeatedly faced with similar battles over precious water views, Falmouth officials are again rethinking seaside zoning regulations. They’ll take a first step Monday, when the Town Council receives a proposal to create a Waterview Overlay Zone. Future proposals promise to be controversial, including one that would turn back the clock on house- and lot-size requirements set in the 1960s.

The reason for the conflict is clear – waterfront property values have skyrocketed in recent years, and tax bills on lots in the Foreside neighborhood are two-and-a-half to nine times higher than elsewhere in Falmouth. But while many communities have wrestled with the value of water views – and government’s role in protecting competing interests of private property owners – Falmouth may stand alone in passing zoning specifically designed to preserve private water views.

In a search of communities across the United States, Falmouth officials found none that went beyond protecting public “viewsheds,” such as forested hillsides and scenic highways, according to Amanda Stearns, Falmouth’s community development director.

In Maine, Camden has zoning that protects scenic coastal corridors and landscapes, and Bar Harbor protects vistas in its Town Hill and downtown districts. If pressed, municipalities may choose to protect private water views under more general zoning language that limits a project’s negative impact on neighbors’ property values.

“Towns usually don’t get involved,” Stearns said. “We didn’t find other communities that expressly assist residents in protecting their water views. In most communities, unless you buy waterfront (property), you risk losing your water view.”

PROTECTING WATER VIEWS

Falmouth moved to protect water views in 2006, after a number of waterfront property owners built larger homes that obscured upland neighbors’ views. The Board of Zoning Appeals asked the Town Council to review the zoning last fall to make it more clear and less cumbersome.

“The board’s reasoning is that ‘significant adverse impact’ is so ambiguous that it should either be amended to provide greater clarity or repealed,” wrote Jay Meyer, appeals board chairman, in an Oct. 19 letter to the council.

At least one board member worried that by enforcing the zoning, the board is effectively taking away property rights and granting view easements to neighbors without compensating property owners who are being denied permission to expand, Meyer wrote.

Councilor Tony Payne, chairman of the committee that’s reviewing waterfront zoning, shares the appeals board’s concerns.

Payne said the only sure way to prevent a neighbor from obscuring a valued water view is to buy view rights, just as people buy easements to run a sewer line or build a driveway across a neighbor’s land.

“A view easement is attached to the deed, so it preserves property rights in a legal way and makes it an economic decision, too,” Payne said.

Still, Payne said, current waterfront zoning is unclear and unfair to both residents and the board, and it needs to be fixed.

“We’re trying to be mindful of property owners’ rights,” Payne said. “The question is, where do my rights end and where do my neighbors’ begin, and what am I allowed to do with my property?”

THREE PROPOSALS

On Monday, the Town Council will receive a proposal to create a Waterview Overlay District encompassing the oceanfront Foreside and Flats neighborhoods east of Route 88, including Mackworth Point. The proposal was developed by Stearns and the council’s Community Development Committee.

If the proposal is approved, all property owners in the overlay district – including owners of lots that conform to zoning – would need a conditional use permit to expand a single-family structure, demonstrating that a project is compatible with the neighborhood and won’t have a significant adverse impact on others’ water views.

Under current zoning, all nonconforming uses in town need a conditional use permit. Under the proposed change, nonconforming uses outside the Waterview Overlay District would need only a building permit from the code enforcement officer.

Falmouth officials are developing a second waterfront zoning proposal that would introduce a neighborhood negotiating process to the review of projects in the overlay district, Stearns said.

Neighbors could sign off on a project or municipal staff would help negotiate a resolution before presenting it to the appeals board.

A third proposal, destined to be the most controversial, would call for changes in the dimensional requirements within the overlay zone, so the size and placement of homes would be more in keeping with the historical appearance of the waterfront area, Stearns said.

Many waterfront homes built at the turn of the last century were one- or two-story cottages set on small lots. Town zoning passed in 1965 established a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet, she said, and the maximum height allowed in the waterfront area is 35 feet.

Town officials would review the sizes of houses and lots throughout the overlay district and establish reduced dimensional requirements reflecting a majority of properties, Stearns said. The new requirements would stop short of regulating architectural style.

“This would be a huge step,” Stearns said. “The current requirements take the neighborhood character away. This would be a return to the seaside village character. It would say that we like the form of the neighborhood as it is, so we want to perpetuate that.”

FOR BETTER OR WORSE

The three waterfront zoning proposals are liable to get mixed reviews.

Matt Manahan, a land-use lawyer with Pierce Atwood in Portland who represents some of the Traynors’ neighbors, said the first two zoning proposals make sense, but the third could make matters worse.

Manahan said trying to legislate the character of the Foreside neighborhood would make waterfront zoning more subjective and the project-review process more time-consuming, expensive and controversial.

“If you try to determine what the neighborhood character is, you may protect some water views but open the area to more intensive development,” Manahan said.

If the concern is that some people will build “megamansions,” he said, then reducing the height limit should be enough.

Manahan represents Christopher Green in particular, whose house at 11 Ayers Court is located directly behind the Traynors’ house at 20 Burgess St.

The tax bill on Green’s two-story, 1,456-square-foot cottage, built in 1900, helps to explain why he fought to preserve his water view.

Like all non-waterfront properties in the Foreside neighborhood east of Route 88, the $329,000 assessed value of Green’s 3,000-square-foot lot is 2.5 times higher than average lots elsewhere in town, said Town Assessor Anne Gregory.

The lot’s assessed value is an additional 50 percent higher because Green has a water view, which accounts for $100,000 of his total $486,000 property assessment, which includes $157,000 for the house. His view accounts for $1,292 of his $6,279 annual tax bill.

In comparison, the Traynors’ waterfront lot, which measures less than one-third of an acre, has an assessed value of $743,000 – nine times higher than average lots elsewhere in town, Gregory said.

There are 87 waterfront lots in Falmouth that are assessed at this rate.

The Traynors’ total property assessment is $899,000, including a 3,178-square-foot house assessed at $155,000, and their annual tax bill is $11,615.

In the wake of the appeals board battle in 2010, the Traynors have tried to come to terms with the limited use of their property.

Dick Traynor, an 83-year-old lawyer, dons a wet suit and swims daily, May through October, off the beach in front of their house. They both enjoy walking the hills throughout the Foreside neighborhood and relish their beautiful views of Casco Bay.

But Pat Traynor, 75, is still angry and says she wouldn’t have bought the house if she had known they couldn’t add a second story. Dick Traynor struggles to be more forgiving, noting that while zoning prevented them from building an addition with a 25-foot-high peak, they could plant evergreens that would grow 90 feet tall.

“This is an emotional, vexing problem,” Dick Traynor said. “I don’t envy the Town Council or the appeals board one bit.”

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:

kbouchard@pressherald.com

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Falmouth to revisit waterfront view rule

Crew members push driver Danica Patrick's backup car to inspection before practice for Sunday's NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla., Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Terry Renna, Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As her car hurtled out of control toward the inside retaining wall at Daytona International Speedway, Danica Patrick did a split-second survey of her situation.

With no chance of avoiding a head-on collision at nearly 190 mph, Patrick prepared for the impact. She took her hands off her steering wheel and pulled them close to her body. In her mind, she had clenched her arms tight near her shoulder harnesses.

In reality, the in-car camera showed her hands were much higher, almost at her face. And just like that the talk shifted from her otherwise clean run in Thursday's qualifying race to a discussion about the pretty girl who covered her eyes right before a big scary accident.

It didn't matter that it wasn't true.

"In IndyCars, you learn to take your hands off the wheel," Patrick explained Friday. "I was trained when there is no saving it and no hope, you let go. That's what I did.

"No, I wasn't covering my eyes. But, yes, I did close them as I got to the wall. I didn't want my eyes to pop out of my head."

Everything Patrick does this season, her first full year in NASCAR, will be scrutinized. She's one of the most popular athletes on the planet, but her spotty racing resume makes her an easy target for hard-core racing fans who consider her an overhyped driver unworthy of the attention she receives.

She's found often on ESPN, which broadcasts the bulk of Patrick's races. She has dabbled the last two years in the Nationwide Series and will run the full schedule this year for JR Motorsports. She also will make her Sprint Cup Series debut in Sunday's season-opening Daytona 500, the first of 10 scheduled events this season for Stewart-Haas Racing.

So, it's easy to understand why the traditional auto racing fan is concerned that ESPN might overwhelm fans with its interest in "Danicamania."

"Our coverage is in balance with what we believe the audience interest is," said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president of motorsports.

Former NASCAR champion turned ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett understands the conundrum facing Patrick and her move to NASCAR, which openly admits it hopes she drives ratings and attracts new fans. She'll be heavily featured in Saturday's season-opening Nationwide race at Daytona.

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NASCAR spotlight shines bright on Danica Patrick

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Jack Overman, 93, has spent his life fishing and camping at Roaring River State Park.

He can describe the primitive screened-in sleeping porches, long since torn down.

“They were on stilts all in a row, on the west side of the river right next to Superintendent (Hugh) Brixey’s house,” Overman said.

He can describe early camping.

“We didn’t have designated campgrounds, but just pulled our old 1930 Dodge right up to the banks, where the playground and picnic tables are now,” he said. “You could roll out of bed in the morning and just start fishing.”

The park officially opened in 1932. Overman, who was born in 1919, has been there since the beginning.

He can recall his summers as a young boy watching Civilian Conservation Corps crews build the iconic lodge and hatchery, both of which still stand.

His memories aren’t surprising, since he’s fished there every summer since 1931.

That’s 80 summers — some years he spent as many as 65 days at Roaring River — of casting flies and visiting the hatchery and making camp within a stone’s throw of the baffles that earned the river its name. He and his wife even spent their honeymoon in the park.

Although the sleeping porches are gone, a lake has been built and destroyed, and anglers arrive via four-wheel-drive SUVs today, the park is a place where time stands still, Overman said.

Those anglers still vie for the best position at the park office in order to get the coveted “0001” trout tag on opening day of the season.

Overman lucked out and got one on March 1, 2007 — and counts it as one of his prized possessions.

“I had an ‘in’,” he grinned as he showed it off. “I was the one who got to shoot the gun on Opening Day that year, and they gave it to me.”

Today, as can be seen in photos dating to the early 1930s, children still pose for photographs with stringers full of fish.

Overman used to pose for such photos himself, on fishing trips with his father, John, mother, Jessie, and little brother Don.

“Except at that time, there was no limit, and then I think they made the limit 10,” he said. Today, it’s four.

“Dad and I would haul home 100 fish after two-week trips, and store them in the ice plant over on Sixth Street.”

In later decades, Overman would snap photos of his own two children, Sandy Hale and Steve Overman, taken on countless fishing trips he and his late wife, Doris, took with them.

And, today, thousands of campers and anglers still pour into the park for the catch-and-keep season, which begins Thursday.

“When we entered the park for the first time, it was just an old gravel road that came in behind the hatchery from the north,” Overman recalled. “Highway 112 hadn’t been built yet.”

There were just five baffles then, terminating in a man-made lake near today’s cleaning station.

When his family said goodbye to the park for another year, they left driving backward as all visitors did — it’s the only way cars of that day could garner enough power to get up the steep hill that led in and out of the park.

Today, Overman worries about the future of the park because of a declining aqueduct and the possibility of pollution, and has been active in signing petitions to prevent poultry farms from setting up shop too close to the park.

Despite having been to every national park in the United States, from the Grand Tetons to Yellowstone to Glacier, he maintains his favorite spot on Earth is at Roaring River State Park.

“I could sit there and look at that mountain ... walk that stream, for hours and hours and hours. It has always been, and remains today, the most peaceful place in the world,” he said.

Enough to make it his final resting place?

“Sure,” he said. “That’s my favorite place.”

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Pittsburg man recalls lifetime at park

25-02-2012 10:34 amazing church construction in nazareth tuticorin district-tamilnadu-india up load by Er.V.Ranjan nazareth

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Nazareth amazing church construction - Video

Noise, dust, detours ... and now drainage. Storm water management in the Grand Marais Drain is the latest concern to surface in the construction of the Windsor-Essex Parkway — a section of which crosses over the drain at Huron Church Road and Grand Marais Road West.

The Essex Region Conservation Authority and the city of Windsor are worried the construction — which requires a section of the drain to be narrowed and diverted temporarily — will affect the drain’s ability to handle rain water and protect the houses downstream from a risk of flooding this spring.

This week, both ERCA and the city said the Ontario Ministry of Transporation and the parkway construction consortium have yet to provide them with any information showing the drain’s capacity will not be affected, nor have they provided a satisfactory emergency plan in case of heavy rainfall in the next few months.

“It’s irresponsible on the part of those giving instructions to proceed with this work,” said Tim Byrne, who oversees flood and erosion control for ERCA.

Byrne said ERCA has been asking for the information for a month now but has gotten the runaround from the ministry and the parkway construction group.

The Grand Marais Drain, which runs through the south part of the city, funnels stormwater for about a third of Windsor, starting around Central Avenue and feeding west into Turkey Creek.

As part of the parkway construction process, a 200-foot section of the drain under Huron Church Road has been narrowed to about one-fifth its width, and the water has been diverted by a temporary steel sheet dam, in order to accommodate the construction of three culverts that will support a section of parkway.

Byrne said construction over the drain began in mid-January.

The drain is partly blocked by wooden scaffolding, boards and framework where the three new concrete culverts are being poured.

With the drain temporarily narrowed, a flash rainfall could cause the drain to overflow, Byrne said.

Already, with a small rainfall earlier this week, there was a noticeable increase in the surface water elevation, Byrne said.

“That’s surprising for such a small rainfall,” he said.

In a strongly worded letter to the Ministry of Transportation and members of the construction group, the chief administrative officer of the city Helga Reidel informed them that the city will take “whatever action is available” to protect the interests of residents and “will hold the relevant parties financially responsible for any loss or damage that may occur as a result of the negligent blockage.”

While the drain is built to withstand a one-in-100-year storm, the section of drain under Huron Church Road can now only handle a one-in-two-year storm, Reidel said in the letter.

The diversion caused by the construction is a “blantant contravention” of section 80 of the Drainage Act, Reidel wrote, and an offence under section 82(2).

“Please take immediate steps to ensure that flooding does not occur,” the letter concluded.

In an email statement Friday night, Heather Grondin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, said the Parkway Infrastructure Constructors conducted the necessary studies and determined the construction along the Grand Marais drain would not pose a flooding risk.

"We're committed to an open process throughout construction of the parkway," Grondin said.

"We've been in contact with stakeholders and discussed our risk assessment of this project."

bfantoni@windsorstar.com or Twitter.com/bfantoni

© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

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DRIC construction could cause flooding, ERCA warns

A roofing project on a vacated commercial building led to a fire that interrupted a nearby funeral, not to mention a quiet weekend afternoon at a senior living center next door.

Nobody was injured during the two-alarm blaze on Wanda Street, assistant fire Chief Harold Burnett, of the Crockett-Carquinez Fire Department said. But residents in the four-story senior center were evacuated, and one was treated by paramedics for non-life-threatening issues, Burnett said.

Fire crews were about a block away when the fire broke out about 11:10 a.m., Burnett said, attending a church funeral service for a retired member of the department who had died recently.

"We were able to get there immediately," Burnett said. "That part of it was fortunate."

Burnett said a man who was doing the repair work on the roof of what once was a laundromat called dispatch about 11 a.m. He had been repairing the roof, using propane torches, Burnett said.

"Because this building had been a laundromat, there was a ton of lint underneath where this man was using the torches," Burnett said. "He took preventive measures, but (the torch) hit the lint, and that shot right through the attic below it. He called immediately."

Crews had the fire under control in about 25 minutes, Burnett said, and the residents of the living center were allowed to return about 40 minutes after that.

The vacant building and the living center are separated by firewall that

would've impinged the flames for two hours, Burnett said. Crews from the Rodeo Fire Department, Pinole Fire and the city of Vallejo also responded.

Rick Hurd covers public safety. Contact him at 925-945-4780 and follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/3rdERH.

---

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Roofing project leads to blaze next to Crockett senior living center

Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP

Miguel Paludo of Brazil, hits the inside wall during the NASCAR Camping World Truck series 250 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla., Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. Paludo walked away unhurt.

Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP

Miguel Paludo of Brazil, goes airborne after a crash during the NASCAR Camping World Truck series 250 auto race on Friday night.

AP reports: Paludo was running third when he just lost control of his truck. He turned left and slammed into the inside retaining wall head on — a violent crash that caused his truck to spin like an out-of-control helicopter. All four tires left the ground and the engine caught fire before Paludo eventually came to a stop.

He climbed out a few seconds later and was unharmed.

"It was a hard hit for sure," Paludo said. "I lost my breath."

SB Nation reports:

NASCAR drivers have now gone headfirst into the inside retaining wall at Daytona International Speedway on consecutive days.

Fortunately, thanks entirely to the innovative SAFER barrier, both Danica Patrick on Thursday and Miguel Paludo in tonight's Camping World Truck Series race walked away unhurt.

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PhotoBlog: NASCAR driver in massive crash at Daytona, walks away

It didn't take Amy Magan and her family of five long to realize how much help their dishwasher had been to them when it stopped working after just two years on the job.

"Five-hundred bucks for a new dishwasher wasn't within our budget, so we tried to just limp along and handwash dishes for a while," said Magan of Carmel, Ind. "We finally broke down and called a repair guy."

Magan is happy she did. She was able to get her dishwasher repaired - as well as a leaky refrigerator - for just $150.

Often, homeowners with a nonworking appliance assume they have to replace it, but calling a reputable repair company first could save them big bucks. A new appliance could cost thousands of dollars, but the average price of an appliance repair call ranges from $40 to $100.

"Unless you have a little bit of knowledge and know it's an expensive repair, you should call somebody out," said Joe Wolf, a member of the Professional Service Association, the independent trade association for appliance service technicians.

"Sometimes, the customer makes the decision (to replace) before they call us. If your car is not starting, you might only need a battery. You wouldn't replace the car."

Factors like age of the appliance, how much maintenance it's received over its lifespan, how much use it's gotten and how well it has performed in the past will likely factor into the decision of whether to repair or replace. Most large appliances should last at least 10 years, some for more than 20, according to surveys of highly rated repair specialists on Angie's List and a study by the National Association of Home Builders.

Typically, if a repair will cost more than half the cost of a new appliance and the ailing unit is more than six or seven years old, it's time to replace it.

The upside of buying new is that most appliances are more energy efficient. However, environmental benefit analysis should also consider the disposal factor. Repairing an older appliance could keep it out of landfills for several more years.

Sometimes the decision is more aesthetically minded than environmental. And here again, you can save money with repair.

"I have had many customers throughout the years - for instance they have a dishwasher with a panel that matches the rest of the kitchen - who would do just about anything they could to repair it so they don't have to figure out the decor of the kitchen and how they're going to make the new dishwasher fit in," Wolf said.

If you do need to color match your appliance, there are companies that match them to any desired color scheme through an electrostatic painting technique that makes them look factory new.

Proper maintenance will extend the life and energy efficiency of any machine, and help you put off the decision of repair or replace. Don't overload washing machines and dryers; clean condenser coils on refrigerators; always follow the factory-recommended preventative maintenance guidelines, and call a professional if you notice the appliance is not working correctly or making unusual noises.

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When to replace an appliance

Interior designer Martyn Lawrence-Bullard has pulled together luxurious looks for A-list celebrities, such as Eva Mendes, Cher and Elton John.

The British-born decorator is known for his adroit use of color and patterns to create rich-textured spaces, garnering him multiple awards and recognition in the pages of top design magazines. His reputation landed him a spot on Bravo’s “Million Dollar Decorators ,” a show documenting the lives of five celebrity designers in Los Angeles.

In addition to the show, Lawrence-Bullard has been keeping busy with a new fabric line for Schumacher and his first book, “Live, Love and Decorate.” The designer also has a line of candles, handcrafted rugs and furniture.

We asked him a few questions while he was in town this week giving a lecture at the Washington Design Center.

What are some of the exciting trends in interior design?

Lawrence-Bullard: Color. Fashion and interior design seem to go hand in hand these days. All of the runway fashion for this summer had bright colors: ­oranges, limes, cerise pink. And you will see that in so many collections.

People are beginning to understand that [the colors] they love to wear they also want to surround themselves with in their homes. There is much more of an openness to color now. People are beginning to get a bit more adventurous.

Now, for your readers, if they’re not sure about having an orange living room, but they like the idea of it, then paint your powder room orange. Start off small. Powder rooms are such a great space because they’re intimate. You close the door it doesn’t affect anything else in the house, but you can make it a surprise. More importantly, you can make it your experiment pad. And if you find that you love that orange powder room, you can expand the color elsewhere.

There is also a huge movement to 1970s furniture. We’ve gone through this whole period for the last five years of mid-century. Mid-
century is definitely now leading more into 1970s, even a little 1980s.

Brass is the new black. In the 1980s brass was huge in furniture, and it’s making a comeback. And I’m finding it very fresh. At the moment, I’m doing a big estate for Ellen Pompeo and all of the taps, everything in that house is brass. It looks new, fresh, sexy and rich again. Not that horrible gold-plate, but the brass that has a little patina to it.

Even the 1970s and 1980s furniture that was gold-plated now has a patina on it; so you can now bring it in and the gold is not so bold. But it still creates this sort of wonderful layered, textural feeling.

What advice would you give the homeowner or renter that wants to freshen up their place, but doesn’t know where to start?

Lawrence-Bullard: Paint is the boldest, easiest way to transform a space, because you can buy a can for $20 or $30 and paint the place yourself. If you’re a renter and don’t want to have to repaint when you leave, an easy fix would be pillows. With pillows you can delineate the seasons. Even for $20 of $30 you can buy fun pillows at Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel or Restoration Hardware. You can buy beautiful, fun florals that are fashionable for the season. And when the winter comes around, you can change those out and put faux fur and velvet.

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Martyn Lawrence-Bullard talks design

MASON CITY — If the economy is turning around in Mason City home construction, it is because of home additions and remodeling rather than building new homes.

That’s according to figures from the city building department.

The City Council approved a program last year in which residents could receive tax abatements of up to $75,000 on the assessed value of remodeling or on new construction.

Figures from the city building department show permits were issued for 16 new homes in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011. So far in this fiscal year, only five permits have been issued, though that should pick up when good weather returns, building officials say.

“If there’s been an uptick, we haven’t noticed it,” said Jo Ellen Larsen, administrative assistant in the building department.

But there have been 139 permits issued so far in this fiscal year for repairs and alterations of single-family homes. That’s on a pace to top last year’s total of 224.

The latest figures also indicate a higher interest in construction of twin homes. In the last fiscal year, permits were issued for two. So far this fiscal year, with about a half-year to go, three permits have been issued.

Cathy Rottinghaus, head of the Home Loan Center at First Citizens National Bank, said people are talking about home construction but given the time of year it is, it’s just talk at this point.

“But people are optimistic,” she said, a different mood than a year ago.

The bank has experienced more activity in refinancing of existing homes.

“Rates are at historic lows and people are taking advantage of that,” she said.

Tom Quinlan, president of NSB Bank, said his bank’s experience in residential loans bears out what the building permits show.

“It’s been a better year for loans on additions and remodeling than for new home construction,” he said.

“We don’t see as much new home construction as we’d like, particularly with interest rates so low.”

Quinlan said his home loan customers are showing an interest in twin homes, validating what the city figures show.

“We’re seeing some interest in twin homes and also homes on one floor with no basement,” he said. “These are homes that are more convenient for older people.”

“We’re holding our own in home loans but it’s not as good as it could be. The market is becoming steady and that’s a good thing.”

Quinlan said agriculture has been a stabling economic influence in recent years and that has had a rippling effect on other aspects of the economy.

“The farm economy has really held up well,” he said.

“There are a lot of service industries tied to the farm economy so a lot of businesses have benefited from that.”

The city’s tax abatement program applies to work done in calendar year 2011. The city received 42 applications for abatements — four for commercial, 13 for single-family houses, 11 for garages or accessory buildings and 14 for residential remodels.

 

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Home additions, remodeling increase