Lewiston planning board approves shoreland permit to replace camp at 38 Shore Road

The Lewiston Planning Board on May 12 unanimously approved a shoreland zoning permit allowing Michelle Curran to replace a camp at 38 Shore Road that was destroyed by fire, with conditions requiring a registry-of-deeds filing and pre-permit erosion- and stormwater controls.

The board said the application required review because the replacement constitutes more than a 50% rebuild and the site lies within 100 feet of No Name Pond; staff and the Androscoggin Soil and Water Conservation District recommended siting the new structure in the existing lawn area and avoiding placement higher on the adjacent ledge and steep slope.

Shelly Norton, Deputy Director for the Planning Department, told the board that staff believes the application is complete and laid out three determinations the board needed to make: that the application is complete pursuant to Article 12, Section 10; that the new location represents the greatest practical extent under Article 12, Section 2.C.3 (relocation); and that the application meets the zoning and land‑use approval criteria in Article 13, Section 4.

Norton described the site and the proposal: the prior camp on the site was listed in the application as 34 square feet; the application showed an existing total building area of 1,034 square feet and a proposed building area of 1,340 square feet, figures Norton confirmed during the meeting after a typographical question from a board member. Norton said the prior septic system was installed in February 2009 and that the applicant proposes to reuse that system where feasible but that plumbing and building inspectors will review adequacy at the building‑permit stage.

Norton also said the applicant worked with the Androscoggin Soil and Water Conservation District, which recommended against moving the camp up onto the steep, ledged slope because doing so would require cutting mature vegetation. Norton said the applicant proposes to rotate the camp so it would be set back about 40 to 42 feet from the pond (currently 33 feet), and the board must determine whether that location is the greatest practical extent.

Applicant Michelle Curran said she has been coordinating with state and local resources and plans to use Soil & Water for site work: “They offered vegetation that could be planted at the waterline,” Curran said, and noted Emma from Soil and Water quoted $60 an hour and “is very, very helpful.” Curran also described taking the Maine DEP certification course (about eight to ten hours) and the photographic and narrative assignments required by that training.

The board approved three formal findings and then voted to grant the shoreland zone permit with four conditions: 1) that the expansion of the nonconforming camp be filed at the registry of deeds within 90 days of approval and proof provided to the city before issuance of a building permit; 2) that an erosion control plan be provided and approved by code enforcement prior to issuance of a building permit; 3) that a roof‑water infiltration design be provided and approved by Public Works prior to issuance of a building permit; and 4) that any other requirements of the Shoreland zoning ordinance be met to the satisfaction of code enforcement. The roll call vote was unanimous in favor.

Board members asked that the permit conditions be phrased to allow code enforcement to require additional items at the building‑permit stage if necessary; Norton and the applicant agreed that meeting requirements “to the satisfaction of code enforcement” would be acceptable. The board opened the matter for public comment and received none.

The approval does not itself authorize construction; the applicant must submit the specified plans and evidence of the registry filing before the city will issue a building permit. The planning board’s action sends the permit decision into the municipal permitting workflow for final inspections and code enforcement review.