Wayne Planning Board finds Michael Lee subdivision application complete, schedules site visit

The Wayne Planning Board found the preliminary subdivision application from Michael Lee complete on Aug. 21 and scheduled a site visit for Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. before the board’s next public hearing. The board’s completeness determination begins the sequence that will lead to a public hearing and later a final plan submission.

The application seeks to subdivide property that the applicant said is “practically 19 acres” into four single-family house lots, Michael Lee said during his presentation. The preliminary plat and accompanying materials submitted by Lee include a natural resources report from Flycatcher LLC and a survey from Davis Land Surveying identifying a small stream, wetlands, and 75-foot buffers around wetland areas.

The board’s purpose at the Aug. 21 meeting was procedural: to determine whether the packet contains all items the subdivision application checklist requires. Chip, planning staff, explained the process: the hearing will proceed in stages, beginning with the completeness review, followed by a public hearing, comment, requests for supplemental materials if needed, and then review of final plans before a decision. "This will be done in 3 stages or more," Chip said.

Board members and the applicant reviewed checklist items item-by-item. The board asked the applicant to provide the septic design and proposed septic locations and any proposed wells for the lot that is already under construction; Chip requested those plans as part of making the application complete for the portion of the project that is under active construction. Lee agreed to bring those specific plans to the next meeting.

During the presentation survey material shown to the board indicated building envelopes within the parcel outside wetland buffers; the applicant said building envelopes for individual lots are substantially smaller than total lot areas. The survey and resource report mark a small stream on the southern portion of the parcel and show 75-foot wetland buffers; the applicant and surveyor pointed to labeled "test port" locations for soil evaluations on the plat.

Board members asked for a clearer zoning overlay. The parcel lies across multiple zone designations on the town mapping: board members agreed point 11 of the application should be amended to list R2, R3 and R5 rather than only R3 so the board can determine minimum lot size requirements that vary by zone. Chip told the applicant he can get a color overlay printed at the office to show exact zoning boundaries and requested Lee bring that to the next meeting.

A motion to find the application complete passed by voice vote. The board scheduled the site visit for Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m., to convene at Lot 4 (the address the applicant used for the lot under construction), and set the next meeting as the public hearing with mailed and posted notices to abutters and publications to follow.

The board made a point that a finding of completeness does not mean final approval of the subdivision; it only confirms the application includes the materials required to begin the review sequence and public hearing process. If the public hearing or subsequent review identifies missing information the board may request additional materials or require revisions before final approval.

No formal conditions beyond requests for additional materials were adopted at the meeting; the applicant was asked to supply septic/well locations for the lot under construction, a clearer zoning overlay, and any other items the board identifies at the next meeting.