WILTON – Voters at the annual town meeting Monday showed concern about proposed ordinance changes and their possible impact on businesses.

Resident Boyd Bachelder asked residents to change the zoning on his property from farm and forest to commercial to accommodate his business. Bachelder has operated an auto repair business at Route 133 and McCrillis Road for the past five years.

Bachelder is allowed 12 cars on his lot under current zoning regulations, but he said he already has more there. He wants to build a bigger garage, but hasn’t been able to because farm and forest zoning limited him to 2,500 square feet for business use, including a building and impervious area.

Planning Board Chairman Russell Black expressed sympathy for Bachelder’s situation but told voters the Maine Municipal Association advised against “spot zoning” in the town.

Properties around Bachelder’s land are zoned farm and forest.

“If you allow this you are going in defiance of what we have been told as a Planning Board we should not allow,” Black said.

But Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Rodney Hall said recommendations by MMA are only suggestions. “I think if we have a successful business we need to support it,” he said.

Resident Bonnie Brown agreed. “He’s a young businessman and we should support more businesses and not try to choke them out.”

Resident Conrad Heeschen said he is afraid of setting precedents in the town, although any zoning changes would have to be approved by voters. “People know the limitations when they start a business in certain zones,” Heeschen said.

Bachelder countered that between 8,000 and 10,000 cars per day travel Route 133. He said he thinks he should be zoned commercial for that reason alone.

Voters overwhelmingly agreed.

Voters also agreed to approve several zoning ordinance amendments dealing with auto sales and auto repair businesses. Included in them were defining an automobile hobbyist and requiring them to get Planning Board approval, and redefining what constitutes a junkyard.

Voters refused to approve an amendment to allow auto sales only in the commercial and industrial zones. “We have very few commercial zoned lots so now we’re restricting another business from coming in to farm and forest,” Bachelder said.

Planners said the purpose of the amendments is to bring the town in line with state guidelines and to help with the enforcement of junkyard violations.

Voters also refused to approve a boat launch ordinance. They said while they want to protect Wilson Lake they feel the ordinance would make too many restrictions.

The ordinance was created by the Friends of Wilson Lake by adapting regulations for state-owned lakes. Residents voted 43-36 against the ordinance.

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