BAR HARBOR, Maine — The town of Bar Harbor is facing a lawsuit after implementing an ordinance that, according to at least one business owner, will "drastically reduce business."
The town passed the Land Use Ordinance Amendment in November that restricts cruise ships from allowing more than 1,000 people off the ship per day.
A total of 95 percent of passengers arrive in Bar Harbor on ships with a capacity larger than 1,000, according to CruiseMaine. If the ordinance stays in place, many larger cruise lines will no longer sail to Bar Harbor.
"From what I understand, a lot of the cruise lines will no longer come to Bar Harbor because they can't tell certain passengers you can get off and other passengers you can't get off," Town Manager Kevin Sutherland said.
The lawsuit states the passenger limit "bars cruise ships and maritime facilities from engaging in their federally approved operations in the port of Bar Harbor."
Kristi Bond, business owner and president of the Association to Preserve and Protect Local Livelihoods (APPLL) which is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said the ordinance will not improve the economy. Rather, it's taking away sales and jobs.
"It will drastically reduce our business and affect our season," Bond said. "It will definitely take jobs away. The trickle-down is pretty big."
If the ordinance stays intact, Mount Desert Island businesses will have a loss of at least $20 million per year from cruise ship passengers and crew, according to CruiseMaine.
"It's going to put people in certain parts of this economy out of business," Eban Salvatore, the director of operations for Bar Harbor Resorts, said.
About 68 percent of the ships booked for the 2023 season have a capacity of more than 1,000 passengers, according to CruiseMaine.
For the time being, the town of Bar Harbor is working to develop the rules and regulations for the ordinance. Meanwhile, some business owners said they aren't expecting the ordinance to stay intact after the lawsuit.