Bangor Planning Board OKs grading permit for Broadway property, imposes erosion controls

The Bangor City Planning Board on Feb. 4 unanimously granted a land development permit to RSQ LLC for grading and filling on a roughly 10-acre parcel on Broadway (Map/Lot R20-006), authorizing site work that the applicant said is preliminary to building a single-family home.

The board’s decision, made after staff confirmed the application’s completeness and after the board voted separately on required code standards, requires the applicant to maintain Old Pushaw Road with Type D road-gravel material during construction, submit to periodic city inspections by code enforcement and engineering, install and maintain erosion-control measures subject to frequent inspection, and provide a construction entrance adjacent to Broadway.

Why it matters: The permit authorizes earth-moving work in the Rural Residence and Agricultural District and the Resource Protection District that the board reviewed for erosion, sediment control and stormwater impacts. The board found, by separate roll-call votes, that the proposal satisfied land development code standards governing soil erosion (section 165-33), erosion- and sediment-control best practices (section 165-33.1), and stormwater runoff (section 165-114(d)). Those findings were prerequisites to issuing the permit.

Applicant presentation and site description

Trisha Quirk, who identified herself as the sole member of RSQ LLC, told the board the parcel is about 10 acres at the corner of Pushaw Road Extension and Broadway and in the distant past had been used as a gravel pit. “There used to be a bridge that went over to Finson Road,” Quirk said, and the present work would “fill that space so that we can ramp it down” to access the buildable area and later construct a single-family home.

Public comment and staff notes

A longtime neighbor, G.P. Palmer, spoke in support but asked whether the old access (referred to historically as Pushaw Road and the Dudley Bridge) had been discontinued. “I played in this gravel pit more than 70 years ago, so I have a little history with this space,” Palmer said. City engineer Jefferson Davis and other staff said the road remains on the city parcel viewer (i.e., technically still a recorded road) and that its status did not affect the board’s review of the permit.

Board review and votes

After staff confirmed the application was complete and fees were paid (amount not specified), the board voted on the relevant standards in separate motions. Member Mike Basnet moved the first findings under land development code section 165-33 (erosion and sedimentation); the board approved that motion by roll call. Member Hugh Brush moved the findings on erosion-control best practices (section 165-33.1) and later moved the finding under section 165-114(d) related to stormwater runoff; each motion passed by roll call. The final motion granting the land development permit, which listed four conditions, also passed unanimously.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of Jan. 21 meeting minutes — unanimous roll call (mover: Hugh Brush; second: Jonathan Boucher). - Adoption of findings and decisions for 296 Kittredge Road (old business) — unanimous roll call (mover: Hugh Brush; second: Jonathan Boucher). - Application completeness for RSQ LLC (Broadway grading/fill) — board found the application complete; fees documented and paid (amount not specified); unanimous roll call. - Findings under LDC 165-33, 165-33.1 and 165-114(d) — each approved by unanimous roll call. - Final decision: land development permit granted with four conditions — unanimous roll call.

What the permit requires next

The board’s decision requires the applicant to coordinate with city code enforcement and engineering for inspections during construction and to implement and maintain the approved erosion-control measures. Staff indicated the permit is consistent with a permit package the applicant received when the project was first approved on Feb. 2, 2021, but the work was not completed at that time.

Context and closing

Board members noted the site’s history as a former gravel pit and the local interest in access and historic road patterns but concluded the application met the city’s technical standards for erosion control and stormwater management. The board meeting lasted about 27 minutes; board members also discussed routine administrative items including a board resignation and whether to change meeting start times. The planning board closed the file after recording the unanimous votes and directing the applicant to coordinate inspections with city staff.