HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-10-19 Penjajawoc Marsh / Bangor Mall Management Commission Minutes
Penjajawoc Marsh/Bangor Mall Management Commission
Meeting Summary – October 19, 2006
The Penjajawoc Marsh/Bangor Mall Commission met on Thursday, October 19, 2006 in the
Council Chambers. Commission Members in attendance included Tom Davis, Cindy DeBeck,
George Elliott, Shep Harris, Jackie Hewett, Jim Hinds, Judy Kellogg Markowsky, Jim Parker, Lucy
Quimby, and Tricia Quirk. Libby Norton sat in for Hope Brogunier. City Staff included Ed
Barrett, Jim Ring, and David Gould as well as Dan Wellington, Jeremy Martin, and Wendy
Warren. Others in attendance included Ed Bearor and Don Becker.
Chair Shep Harris called the meeting to order shortly after 1:00 p.m. The October 6 meeting
summary was approved after an amendment was made to change the wording in one sentence
as follows:
Lucy expressed concern about roads and environmental impact on and the
possibility that regulatory agencies could use “road blocking” as a conservation
strategy.
The Commission discussed the draft review comments for the proposed WalMart project that
were prepared by staff and distributed prior to the meeting. Jim Parker expressed a concern
about strengthening the traffic circulation piece and access/circulation to adjacent land. George
Elliott indicated that he felt traffic issues should not be part of the Commission’s consideration
(only Planning Board’s) and is not the Commission’s charge. Ed Barrett stated he felt this was
definitely covered in the Ordinance establishing the Commission and its duties, referencing
2329, Section C. George stated that he strongly disagreed. After further discussion, no
changes to the proposed language were made.
Jim Parker and Tom Davis mentioned the need for referencing consistency with Open Space
recommendations developed by the Land and Open Space Subcommittee. Shep Harris pointed
out the “Additional Discussion of Open Space” section and both felt the proposed language
adequately covered their concern. There was additional discussion of how the proposed open
space/conservation easement might be swapped for higher conservation value land in the
future, with regulatory agency concurrence. Jim Ring indicated that his understanding was that
WalMart proposed the conservation easement shown on the plans rather than it being a DEP
requirement, which was confirmed by Attorney Ed Bearor. There was also further discussion
about DEP’s reported objection to future roads on the development. Ed Bearor clarified this by
indicating that Robin Clukey at DEP told the applicant that the Parallel Service Road was most
problematic and needed to be removed from the plan, her next concern was any possible
connection to Stillwater Avenue in close proximity to the Penjajawoc Stream adjacent to Blue
Seal Feeds, and a road crossing the stream parallel to Stillwater Avenue in the vicinity of the
existing private bridge was a lesser concern, subject to further information and applicable
regulation. A motion to submit the draft comments to the Planning Board made by Jim Parker
and seconded by Cindy DeBeck was withdrawn upon request by Tom Davis to table until the
next meeting.
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The Commission continued its review of the East Ridge Subdivision off Essex Street. Don
Becker mentioned that although 22 lots were possible, the developer only needed 18 lots for
the project to be viable. He noted that this was due to lower development costs because of the
new reduced lot size standards. There was discussion about the extent of wetlands on four
interior lots and buildable footprint within them. Mr. Becker indicated that the lots could be
made larger but setback from the Marsh would be about 400 ft vs. 550 feet with the layout as
presented. The Commission favored the lot size layout as proposed, to afford greater Marsh
setback.
The Commission also reviewed a proposed addition to Dr. Bailey’s existing dentist office in
Stillwater Professional Park. The proposed project involves a modest increase in building size
with minimal impacts. A motion by Jim Hinds to recommend approval of the project was
unanimously approved.
Further review of the Molly Lane Extension in Stillwater Gardens was postponed until the next
meeting.
The next meeting will be Friday November 3 at 1:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Agenda
items will include 1) Review of review format suggestions previously prepared by George Elliott,
2) Review of Molly Lane Extension, and 3) Final WalMart review.
Meeting was adjourned at approximately 3:00 p.m.
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