Attorney asks planning board to reconsider denial of Noyes Real Estate sign; board declines to reopen

An attorney for Noyes Real Estate asked the Rangeley planning board to reconsider its Dec. 11 decision to deny additional sign square footage at the company's Main Street office, arguing the denial was procedurally unfair and legally unsupported.

Leah Raichin, an attorney for Drummond Winston representing Noyes Real Estate, told the board she was asking it to reopen the matter and reverse the denial because of three primary claims: a potential due‑process issue tied to a board member's participation in the prior hearing, that the denial was arbitrary and capricious compared with how the board had treated similar applicants, and that the board's written decision lacked sufficient factual findings and legal conclusions for review.

Town attorney Steven Langsdorf advised the board on procedure, saying Raichin should present why reconsideration was warranted, Codes staff could respond, and then the board could decide whether to take a motion to reopen. Langsdorf recommended that, if the board voted to reopen, the substantive reconsideration be scheduled for a later meeting so parties could prepare.

Raichin said the original application had identified "special circumstances" that would justify extra sign area and that those circumstances were not adequately addressed in the board's written decision. Langsdorf and a board member both noted the issue before the board was whether the new presentation provided a reason to reopen the record.

After discussion, no board member moved to reopen or reconsider the Dec. 11 decision; the board therefore did not reopen the matter. The town attorney left the meeting after the board's determination.