Wells Plaza plan approved; board adds $15,000 escrow condition before lot division and clears Starbucks plan

WELLS, Maine — After months of staff follow‑up, the Town of Wells Planning Board on July 21 approved a revised site plan for Wells Plaza and subsequently approved a concurrent Starbucks site plan, but only after the applicant agreed to conditions intended to secure completion of several outstanding items.

What the board approved: The Wells Plaza site plan was approved with the board’s standard findings and 16 standard conditions, plus a new special condition requiring the applicant to provide $15,000 in cash escrow to complete three remaining tasks — enclosing and relocating dumpsters, adding required signage, and finishing parking lot striping — within 60 days. The board also authorized the chair to sign the revised findings of fact and the plan set.

Why the escrow: Planning staff reported that the plaza’s owner (a real estate investment trust) had been slow to complete previously required work. Staff asked for a mechanism to ensure the plaza encloses dumpsters, completes striping and installs “no parking” signage before permits or construction proceed on the Starbucks parcel. The board and the Starbucks project representative agreed that an escrow deposit tied to a 60‑day deadline would ensure the town had funds to complete the work if the owner did not.

Starbucks approval and conditions: With Wells Plaza approved, the board addressed the Starbucks site plan. Staff recommended the board find the Starbucks application compliant and adopt the plan contingent on Wells Plaza items being resolved. The board added a special condition requiring at least two trash receptacles in or adjacent to the drive‑thru lane (to limit roadside litter), and required that striping and dumpster enclosure obligations be satisfied (or covered by the escrow) before construction proceeds.

Other technical conditions: The board reviewed a draft Department of Transportation approval for a raised crossing/“speed table” on Mile Road (the draft called for a 3‑inch raised table with approaches and taper) and directed staff to complete outstanding DOT paperwork. The board also discussed nighttime striping logistics and temporary construction fencing for the Starbucks parcel; the applicant said pre‑construction cannot begin until financing and lease steps are complete, but accepted the escrow and 60‑day timeline as a compromise.

Ending: The board’s votes were unanimous. Staff will hold the $15,000 cash escrow until the dumpster enclosure, striping and signage are completed; funds will be released if the work is done earlier.