MINOT – Tuesday night’s public hearing on revisions proposed for the town’s land-use code and shoreland zoning ordinance drew a questioning crowd of about 60 people.

Resident Mike Hricko called the revisions, which place about half the town’s land area in a rural residential zone, requiring five acres per house lot, “a major change.”

“Why not three acres, or four acres; why the five acres?” asked Hricko.

“Were looking at how best to direct growth and not allow sprawl to spread all over town,” responded John Maloney.

Maloney, land-use planner with the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, who has served as the town’s consultant during the four-year process that began with updating the town’s comprehensive plan, explained that two years ago, when town meeting voters approved the revised plan for guiding the town’s growth, one of the key features that people supported was that the town’s rural character be preserved.

Maloney added that existing lots in the rural residential zone with less than five acres will be grandfathered as buildable lots, and that there were other provisions – for cluster development and for private roads to serve back lots – that gave large landowners other options that allow development of their properties and still preserve the appearance of rural character.

A provision in the revised shoreland zoning section that extends special protection 250 feet from areas designated for resource protection drew strong reaction from several, including Mary Ann Gleezen, who saw it as a “taking of one’s property rights.”

Maloney explained that the provision is made to bring the town’s codes in compliance with a directive issued by the state Bureau of Land and Water Quality in December, and that it applied to four or five of the town’s identified wetland areas.

Ed Cormier, chairman of the Land Use Code Update Committee, noted that changes made in the code, in general, were done to comply with state law and were no more restrictive than Maine law.

Property owners, particularly those with property adjacent to zoned boundaries, or who believe their properties to be out of sorts with the zone they found themselves in, were urged by Cormier to register their concerns in writing.

Cormier said the committee will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29, in the town office to consider comments received at the public hearing, and to take action.

Copies of the revised ordinances, which voters will act on at the March 1 town meeting, are available at the town office.