Bangor planning board grants two-year extension for 35 Milford Street subdivision, discusses Broadway corridor traffic

The City of Bangor Planning Board on Oct. 7 unanimously approved a two-year extension for a subdivision permit at 35 Milford Street Extension, setting a new project completion date of April 12, 2028.

The extension applies to a previously approved minor site-plan revision for Map/Lot 045009 E in the Multifamily and Service District. The applicant is listed as Penquist Cap Incorporated. The board found the application complete and recorded that fees had been paid before granting the extension.

The board’s chairman, Rhys Perkins, opened the item and asked staff whether the application was complete. Ann Crete, director of development, confirmed staff had deemed the file complete and that fees were paid. "Typically, extensions are granted at a staff level," Crete said, explaining why this subdivision extension had been brought before the planning board.

Peter Naya, the applicant’s representative, described the request as "a fairly straightforward request" and said the developer needed additional time to finalize financing and complete construction work that is already underway.

Board members asked for clarifications before voting. Justin Cartier and other members queried the requested completion date after staff and the applicant clarified that the request is for two years (through 2028), correcting an earlier one-year reference in staff paperwork. The board amended the motion on the record to set the completion date as April 12, 2028, and then voted to approve.

Members also pressed staff and project representatives about traffic and pedestrian safety near the site. Several board members recalled prior discussion at the project's original approval about shared access and proximity to a school. Maureen Bragg of Carlin & Associates told the board the site entrance is shared with Mary Snow (the school access), and that John Theriault had reviewed traffic circulation. Bragg said the required lighted crosswalk and most of the off-site infrastructure work along Milford Place Extension are in place; the developer remains responsible for an eventual road overlay that should take a day or two to complete.

The board’s discussion broadened into a general conversation about the Broadway corridor, where multiple members and staff described increasing commercial interest and recurring traffic concerns. Perkins and Crete noted a string of recent and proposed projects in that corridor. Members described recent changes intended to improve pedestrian safety and vehicle flow — including no-turn-on-red restrictions tied to pedestrian signals and updated signal detection at left-turn approaches — and discussed longer-term improvements that would likely require coordination with the Maine Department of Transportation.

The board recorded the right-to-appeal language on the record: «The applicant has the right to appeal the decision to the Superior Court of Maine.» The board also noted it will collect signed findings at the end of the meeting.

Votes at a glance - Approval of Sept. 16, 2025 meeting minutes — Motion carried, roll-call unanimous (yes: Mike Bazinet; Jonathan Boucher; Ted Brush; Tricia Hayes; Ken Heung; Janet Jonas; Rhys Perkins). - Adoption of findings for three projects (listed in the motion as 666 Vincent Road, 438 Vincent Road, and 315 Main Street) — Motion carried, roll-call unanimous. - Finding of application completeness for 35 Milford Street Extension (application deemed complete 10/07/2025; fees paid; project classified as a minor site-plan revision) — Motion carried, roll-call unanimous (mover: Ted Brush; second: Jonathan Boucher). - Grant of land development permit subdivision extension for 35 Milford Street Extension, completion date 04/12/2028 — Motion carried, roll-call unanimous (mover: Ted Brush; second: Janet Jonas).

The planning board adjourned at 7:32 p.m.