HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-10-15 Planning Board Minutes
PLANNING BOARD OF THE CITY OF BANGOR
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1996
MINUTES
Board Members Present Moshe Myerowitz, Chairman
George Burgoyne
Thomas Drummond
Scott Hall
Carol Woodcock
City Staff Present: Norman Heitmann
John Lord
Rod McKay
Robert Osborne
News Media Present: Bangor Daily News
Chairman Myerowitz called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M.
He explained the components of the Agenda for the benefit of the
audience.
CONSENT AGENDA
As no one wished to remove the item for discussion, Chairman
Myerowitz asked for a motion.
Mr. Drummond moved to approve the Consent Agenda. That motion
was seconded by Mrs. Woodcock and it passed by a vote of 5 to 0. The
item approved was:
Item No. 1: Developmental Subdivision approval for 34 units of
housing located at the former Freese's building on
Merchants Plaza in a Downtown Development District.
Freese Building Assoc. Co., applicant.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Item No. 2: To amend the Land Development Code by changing a
parcel of land located at 131V Pearl Street from Urban
Residence 1 District to Contract Urban Residence 2
District, subject to certain conditions. Said
parcel containing approximately 17,650 sq. ft. City
of Bangor, applicant. C.O. # 96-385.
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Chairman Myerowitz opened the public hearing and called for
proponents. There being no proponents, Chairman Myerowitz asked if
there were any opponents. There being no one wishing to testify,
Chairman Myerowitz asked for comments from Planning Staff.
Planning Officer Lord explained that this parcel was too small
to be made into two lots under the present zoning standards and that
the contract zone change limited the number of dwelling units to one
in a building and limited the square footage for any primary use
structures to 1,500 sq. ft. He noted that there was a proposal for
disposition of this parcel to Habitat for Humanities to build housing
in the area. He noted that this was in keeping with the City's
Comprehensive Plan in that it supported single-family detached
housing in this area and fulfilled objectives of the City's housing
element to provide affordable housing to its residents.
Chairman Myerowitz closed the public hearing and asked for a
motion. Mrs. Woodcock moved to recommend approval of the contract
zone change to the City Council. The motion was seconded by Mr.
Burgoyne and passed by a vote of 5 to 0.
Item No. 3: To amend the Land Development Code by changing part
of a parcel of land located at 302V Husson Avenue from
High Density Residential District to Contract
Shopping and Personal Service District, subject to
certain conditions. Said parcel containing
approximately 4.6 acres. Rosscare, applicant.
C.O. # 96-386.
Chairman Myerowitz opened the public hearing and then asked for
a ruling from the Planning Board as to whether he had a conflict of
interest on the item. After a question from Member Hall as to whether
Dr. Myerowitz felt he should be excused, it was agreed that his
request should be honored. The Board voted 4 to 0 to excuse Dr.
Myerowitz from this item.
Dr. Myerowitz turned the meeting over to Vice Chairman Burgoyne
and left his seat and removed himself to the audience.
Vice Chairman Burgoyne called for proponents. P. Andrew
Hamilton, attorney representing Rosscare, introduced other
representatives of the applicant and the applicant's design, Mr.
Marshall of Ames Corp., and provided a brief history of the Rosscare
site and application.
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Dr. Bragg spoke briefly about trends in health care and the
consolidation of physician's practices to reduce costs. He
indicated that as president of Norumbega Medical Associates he would
be one of a seven-person internal medicine staff which would have
its practice on this site.
Mr. Hamilton outlined the contract zone change standards and
suggested that the application met them.
There being no further proponents, Mr. Burgoyne asked for
opponents. Jim Walsh, a Morningside condominium owner raised a
question about the impact of the site development on the Morningside
site and asked why provisions for protecting the existing trees on
the proposed project's west property line adjacent to Morningside
had not been included in the contract zone change conditions.
Ken Deal, owner of several dwelling units in the Mallard Pond
Condominium Project and a member of the Mallard Pond Governing Board,
indicated that his association felt that Rosscare was a "good
neighbor" and that their proposed use of the site would not have an
adverse affect upon their housing project.
Priscilla Williams, a Grandview Avenue resident, asked about
the protection from buffers and whether or not there would be any
Grandview Avenue extension that might ultimately have access to this
site.
Angela Aloupis, a neighbor adjacent to the Grandview Avenue
subdivision, was concerned about the maintenance of buffers and
traffic impact.
David Hughes, a Husson Avenue resident, agreed with the comments
of Mr. Deal from the Mallard Pond Condominium Association on the
impact of the project.
Bob Haeberlein, a Morningside condominium owner was also
concerned about lack of a buffer between the Morningside Condominium
site and the proposed Rosscare site.
Andrew Hamilton commented on the protection of the area offered
by the contract zone change conditions and also indicated that his
client was amenable to adding a condition to provide additional
buffering on the boundary between the Morningside condominium site
and the proposed Rosscare development.
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Fred Marshall of Ames Corporation explained the way in which
the buffer and standards for specimen trees would work as spelled
out in the contract conditions.
Mr. Burgoyne called upon the Staff to comment. Planning
Officer Lord explained that the proposed zone change was not
consistent with the City's Land Use Policy for the area which was
for high density residential uses nor was it consistent with the
zoning in the area which was the present zoning of the parcel and
the zoning of those parcels around it - High Density Residential.
Staff recommended that the Planning Board recommend denial of the
proposed zone change request to the City Council.
Mr. Burgoyne closed the public hearing and asked for a motion.
There followed a discussion for the need for a buffer to protect the
Morningside development from the removal of existing trees along the
westerly property line of the proposed site. The Planning Board
suggested that a new condition which would provide a vegetative
buffer along the westerly property line for a depth of twenty feet
except in those areas adjacent to the buildings and parking lots on
Morningside site, which would have a thirty foot buffer, be added
to the contract conditions.
Mr. Hall moved to amend the contract conditions by the provision
outlined above. Mrs. Woodcock seconded the motion which passed by
a vote of 4 to 0.
Mrs. Woodcock moved to recommend that the amended contract zone
change be approved by the City Council. Mr. Drummond seconded the
motion which passed by a vote of 4 to 0.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Item No. 4: Planning Board Approval of Minutes of October 1, 1996
Planning Board Meeting.
The minutes of the October 1, 1996 Planning Board Meeting were
unanimously approved as printed.
OLD BUSINESS
Item No. 5: Amending Planning Board By-Laws - Section B, (l),(a)
- (Second Reading)"Time of Meeting."
Mr. Hall moved passage of the amendment to the By-Laws which
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removed the day and time of the regular Planning Board meeting and
substituted language indicating the Board would designate the day
and time of meeting from time-to-time.
Mr. Drummond seconded the motion which passed by a vote of 5
to 0.
MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS
Item No. 6: Planning Board Review of Correspondence and Other
Communications From the Planning Office.
Planning Officer Lord noted that the Code Enforcement Office
had granted a 60-day extension of the completion date for a fill and
grade project located at 1456 Union Street.
There being no further business to come before the Board the
meeting was adjourned at 8:54 p.m.
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