Published on November 05, 2020

Repost from October 26, 2020

Due to the dense agenda of the Planning Board October 20, 2020 meeting, the board voted to table the discussion of short term rentals until their next meeting on November 17, at which point a public hearing will also take place.

The remainder of the October 20 meeting allowed for the final discussion and approval of many projects.  The first of these projects was the mixed use building and amendments to the Tarbox Triangle Subdivision located at 14 Hill Way.  The building, to be located within the town center, will be oriented towards Scott Dyer Road and include a 1,920 square foot short term rental on the ground floor and one residential unit on the main and second floors.  The Planning Board deemed the application complete on September 15 and held a site walk on September 24.  Following a public hearing on October 20, the board voted 6-1 in approval of this project.  Meeting materials, site plans, and reports are all available on the town website under the Meetings and Agendas.

The Planning Board voted unanimously in favor of accepting amendments to the site plan for 1226 Shore Road/High Tide Dental. The amendments include the change of use of one building from storage to village retail and the construction of an eight-space parking lot.  This property also resides within the Town Center District and complies with town center design requirements.  As this property was previously occupied by a medical practice, there will be little to no impact on traffic, landscaping, or noise once the the site changes are complete.

Following a public hearing on the next agenda item, the Planning Board unanimously approved the request for amendments to the Rosewood Subdivision.  The amendments entail splitting lot 4B to create a new lot 4C and extending the private road right-of-way for Rosewood Drive to create frontage for the lot.  The subdivision amendments meet subdivision amendment standards, including no substantive changes to traffic congestion or safety.

Later in the evening, the Planning Board unanimously approved the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust request for a Resource Protection Permit to construct 13 boardwalks and bridges in wetlands for existing trail crossings, totaling 1,428 square feet, on the Pollack Brook Preserve located at 498 Spurwink Avenue.  The approval proceeded a site walk on September 29.  The boardwalks will be elevated off the ground to allow for the movement of water under the structures and will minimize the impact of existing pedestrian traffic on spawning grounds, habitat for aquatic life, and other wildlife once the project is completed.  The boardwalks and bridges will follow designs used by the Conservation Committee.