The Planning Board convened on Monday, Aug. 3, at the Burleigh H. Loveitt Council Chambers, with five members (Hager, Benson, Frank, Nichols, Walsh) in attendance and one member (Delaney) absent.
Prior to taking up agenda items, board chair James Hager announced that there is currently a vacant position on the Planning Board due to the recent resignation of board member Stephen Crisafulli.
The first item on the agenda was a public hearing on a request to amend the Town zoning map to change a portion of a parcel delineated on Map 34 Lot 14, owned by Shaw Brothers, from Urban Residential Expansion (UREXP) to Industrial. Seven members of the public voiced concerns about the rezoning and one spoke in favor of the rezoning request. The board moved to send the item to the Town Council with a recommendation for approval, with a letter from the Planning Board reflecting the board’s concerns about enforcement of existing ordinance codes (5 Ayes, 1 Absent).
Item 2, also designated as a public hearing, comprised a site plan review for a proposal to construct nine contractor/tradesman units in two buildings, with a paved parking lot and associated infrastructure, on Eastern Drive, located in the Industrial (I) zoning district. There was no public comment on the item. The board moved to approve the site plan with conditions (5 Ayes, 1 Absent).
The board decided to address agenda item 4 ahead of item 3 due to the status of the respective projects. The item comprised a public hearing on the site and preliminary subdivision plan review for construction of a 22-unit multi-family development and associated infrastructure on a 4.33-acre parcel on South Street, zoned Urban Residential (UR). Several residents made comments about the proposed project during the Public Hearing portion of the agenda (3 in opposition, 3 neutral). The board moved to postpone plan review pending revisions (5 Ayes, 1 Absent).
The remaining scheduled agenda items, a public hearing on the final subdivision and site plan for the proposed Thistle Petite Condominiums, a development of 30 units of multifamily housing with associated infrastructure on County Road, zoned South Gorham Commercial Corridor (SGCC); and discussion of an amendment to the Land Use and Development Code to create a new University District zone to implement the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, were not taken up due to the Planning Board’s lateness rules. Both items will be rescheduled for the second monthly Planning Board meeting, scheduled for Aug. 17.