MOUNT DESERT — Douglass “Scamp” Gray has collected 139 signatures on a petition calling for a vote on two amendments to the town’s land use zoning ordinance that would allow him to store construction equipment and materials on the former Village Convenience Store lot on Main Street in Seal Harbor.

That is 20 more signatures than he needed to place the items on the warrant for the June 11 special town meeting, which will coincide with the Democratic and Republican primaries for state and local offices.

Last November, the town’s planning board approved Mr. Gray’s application for a conditional use permit for construction-related activities – such as operating a construction business – at that site, which is in the “village commercial” zoning district.

However, the ordinance specifically prohibits “bulk storage of commercial materials” such as sand and gravel and “storage of construction equipment and heavy vehicles” in that zoning district.

“Voters were very clear that they did not want to see bulk storage material and heavy equipment on the main streets (of the villages),” planning board member Joe Tracy said at the time.

Mr. Gray said his small construction business, Gray Line LLC, has a mini-excavator, small dump truck, front-end loader and trailer for hauling some of the other equipment. Code enforcement officer Kim Keene issued Mr. Gray a notice of violation last April for storing some of the equipment and bulk materials on the Main Street property. Mr. Gray owns the .34-acre lot.

The proposed amendments to the land use ordinance that citizens will vote on in June would allow the “storage of construction equipment and heavy vehicles” and “commercial materials, bulk storage” in the village commercial district with conditional use permits.

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