Saco Planning Board sets Feb. 18 public hearings and schedules site walks for multiple major developments

At its meeting the Saco Planning Board found several major applications complete and scheduled public hearings for Tuesday, Feb. 18. The board also scheduled on-site visits (sidewalks) for projects where staff and reviewers recommended field inspection of sensitive natural features.

Applications found complete and hearings scheduled: The board voted 4–0 to find complete and to set public hearings for the following active applications:

- Waterfall Drive (Park North Development): a proposed 195-unit residential development in the Park North contract zone. Staff reported outstanding infrastructure coordination with utility providers; the board continued the application and scheduled the public hearing for Feb. 18.

- Millbrook Pines (800 Portland Road): a proposed 49-unit mixed-use development with a 3,000-square-foot commercial building in the Portland Road zoning district. The board found the application complete, accepted a financial-capacity letter from a lending entity, and scheduled a sidewalk/site walk for Thursday, Feb. 13 at 8 a.m.; the public hearing was set for Feb. 18.

- Park North Medical Office (Waterfall Drive, related parcel): draft findings and conditions were approved and the board approved site-plan and site-location approvals for the medical office building.

- Bradley Greens (Bradley Street): a continued completeness review for a 32-unit duplex community; the board found the application complete and set a Feb. 18 public hearing.

- 197 Jenkins Road (private road and condominium units): the board found the application complete and set a public hearing for Feb. 18. Board members discussed hydrogeologic concerns and asked the applicant to provide engineering responses to questions about groundwater, wells and septic separation distances.

- Millbrook Road tree-clearing (future Saco Elementary School): the school department’s tree-clearing application for portions of the future school site was found complete. The board scheduled a site walk for 8 a.m. on Feb. 11 (meet at the gravel parking lot south of the Ford dealership on Route 1) and set a public hearing for Feb. 18. Staff noted potential bat-study schedule constraints tied to clearing timelines and explained the request was to allow winter clearing that avoids triggering additional spring bat surveys and a possible six-month delay.

Why it matters: Several of these projects are large in scale and involve environmental, traffic and infrastructure coordination. The board repeatedly requested more detailed engineering, peer-review responses and conservation commission input before final decisions to ensure stormwater, habitat and utilities are adequately addressed.

Supporting details: For Millbrook Pines (800 Portland Road) the board reviewed wetland and stream setbacks, identified a non-significant vernal pool in the upland area and discussed 75‑ and 100‑foot buffers around Millbrook. Staff recommended Conservation Commission review and a high‑intensity soil survey in some cases; the applicant said test pits had been conducted and that they would coordinate further with the city engineer. For Waterfall Drive the applicant asked the board to separate non-infrastructure issues from utility and capacity work that remains under review with Maine Water and sewer providers.

Board action and votes: Motions to find applications complete and to schedule public hearings passed unanimously for each item (recorded as 4–0 votes: Matt DiCiani — yes; Jim Moeller — yes; Jeff Brochu — yes; Joyce Larry Clark — yes).

Next steps: Staff will collect outstanding peer-review responses, conservation comments and any required soil or hydrogeologic studies ahead of the Feb. 18 hearings. Site walks are scheduled for Feb. 11 (Millbrook tree-clearing, 8 a.m.) and Feb. 13 (800 Portland Road, 8 a.m.). Developers were told to provide additional technical documentation responsive to city-engineer and peer-review comments prior to public hearings.

Ending: The board used the completeness determinations to set the public‑hearing calendar and to require further field review and technical follow-up on environmental and infrastructure issues.