Rangeley Planning Board approves multiple shoreland permits, schedules site visit for 33 Cary Road

The Rangeley Planning Board on April 9 took a series of actions on shoreland-zone permit applications, finding one application complete, scheduling a site visit, and granting multiple repair, replacement and expansion requests under the town’s shoreland rules.

At the start of the meeting the board voted that the Shoreland Zone apartment application for 33 Cary Road (map 006, lot 002-009) was complete and set a site visit for May 14 at 5:30 p.m. The board then considered several shoreland permit worksheets and repeatedly found that applicants had standing and that the planning board had the authority to consider the requests under the Rangeley Town Code. For multiple properties, the board determined there was not a practical alternative to retain original floor area and volume within the required setback, considered notice requirements to abutters, and in some cases concluded the project was eligible for the town’s 30% expansion allowance while remaining within required shoreline setback areas.

The board discussed standard criteria in the Rangeley Town Code including lot size, shape and slope, location of septic systems, existing architectural plans, potential for soil erosion, and the type and amount of vegetation removal required. On several applications the board moved that written notice need not be mailed to the director (recorded as "not mailed" in the worksheet discussion). For at least one application the board conditioned approval on completion of a floodplain application before finalizing the permit.

Several separate applications for repair or replacement of structures on or near Quimby Pond and Rangeley Lake were considered; in each case the board recorded findings that no practical alternative existed and granted the shoreland permit with the stated conditions. The transcript does not record individual roll-call vote tallies; decisions were recorded by voice vote with "all in favor" noted for motions granting standing, authority to consider and final approvals.

Board members and staff referenced Rangeley Town Code sections 38-3-3-1, 38-3-3-5 (and related subsections), 38-11-3-1, and chapter 38-10 during their findings and motions. The board also noted that applicants must complete any required floodplain application forms available on the town website before work begins.

A final item on the agenda was the conditional-use permit for the Town of Rangeley Parks and Recreation Department at 15 School Street, which the board also granted later in the meeting.