Following a lawyer's letter, Damariscotta will still be open to low-income and affordable housing.

A plan to put forth a moratorium on the housing, which was brought forth by several Hodgdon and Pleasant Street residents concerned about Stepping Stones's plan to convert the Blue Haven property, was dismissed.

The Damariscotta board of selectmen voted, 5-0, to not press forward with a moratorium on low-income housing Wednesday, April 16. It also appears unlikely a citizen petition will come forward to prevent the Blue Haven house converting into transitional or low-income housing.

A letter from Attorney Jennifer Villeneuve from Gallagher and Stein law offices states that the property already acts as affordable housing, and there isn't much room to change or expand on the property.

Because no formal application has been presented, any action would essentially be in the dark, Villeneuve wrote.

“Without an actual proposal by Stepping Stone or a petitioned substantive warrant article on the table I believe any legal analysis forward looking is premature, requires substantial conjecture and is not particularly valuable,” she wrote to the town.