Planning Board approves Redington Fairview site plan for medical office and parking expansion

The Skowhegan Planning Board approved a site plan application from Redington Fairview General Hospital for a new medical office building on Fairview Avenue and a phased expansion of parking on Jones Street at its meeting. The board closed a public hearing that drew no public comment and voted to approve the plan by hand/voice vote.

Chris McDonald, a civil engineer with BH2F and the project presenter, described the project as an addition to the front of the existing hospital and accompanying parking work across Jones Street. "The medical office building is proposed to be added onto the front of the hospital along Fairview Avenue," McDonald said, and he outlined a three-part application that includes the building, replacement of an existing building with parking, and a future east-side parking expansion.

The project includes stormwater best-management practices intended to reduce runoff. McDonald said the plan replaces existing impervious surfaces with new construction in places and proposes a manufactured-soil filter and an underground storage gallery beneath the new parking area to slow and treat runoff. "Stormwater runs off into that manufactured soil and gets treated, and then there's a storage gallery that's kinda gonna be proposed underneath the parking lot," he said. He also noted rainfall values and design criteria are "guided by DEP criteria" and referenced DEP Chapter 500 as the technical standard used for modeling and sizing.

Jacoby Johnson, identified as a Redington Fairview representative, told the board the east-side parking expansion has not been designed and "it's not part of this permit process. We're gonna bring that back" to the board when ready. Board members reported a recent site visit and said the stormwater responses and revised drawings addressed their earlier concerns.

The public hearing was opened and, with no public speakers present, closed before the board discussed the application. The board then moved to approve the site plan; the motion passed after a second by Dan (Planning Board member). The board signed three copies of the plans following the vote.

Project timing provided at the meeting shows an anticipated construction start in April and a completion target in March of a future year; presenters described the full schedule as "almost two years" with a realistic goal closer to 18 months. No specific permit milestones, contractor names, or dollar figures were stated at the hearing.