Bangor planning board unanimously grants flag‑lot permit for single‑family home; applicant and packet list differing street names

The Bangor City Planning Board on Jan. 21 unanimously granted a land development permit for a flag lot to allow construction of a single‑family house on a property listed in staff materials as 296 Kittridge Road; the applicant referred to the same property during remarks as 296 Hickie Grove.

The applicant, Jacob Valley, said he and his family intend to build a single‑family home and that the proposal would not change the lot to commercial use or create multi‑unit housing. Staff confirmed the application was complete and all fees were paid. The owner of the parcel is identified in meeting materials as Kyle Johnson.

The board first voted to deem the application complete. It then reviewed the required standards under the Bangor Land Development Code for flag lots and minor subdivisions, citing the packet exhibits. Board members voted on the code findings that address minimum street frontage, access strip width, computation of minimum lot area, limits on tiers of rear lots, and surveyor‑stamped plans. After unanimous approvals of the standards the board voted to grant the land development permit.

During questions, members asked about the access strip width used to serve the rear lot. The applicant and the board discussed that the access strip in the proposal was roughly 80–93 feet depending on measurement cited in the packet; board members noted the code minimum referenced in the packet is 50 feet. No members of the public spoke for or against the application during the public comment period.

The final motion to grant the land development permit was moved and seconded on the record and passed on a roll call vote. The roll call as recorded in the meeting packet and minutes shows unanimous approval. After the decision the chair advised the applicant to coordinate next steps with the city code enforcement office.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of minutes from Jan. 7, 2025 (amended): unanimous. - Adoption of findings and decisions for projects at 1171 Broadway (Dollar General) and 36 Pleasant Street (Bangor Savings Project): unanimous. - Determination that the flag‑lot application for the property listed in packet as 296 Kittridge Road was complete: unanimous. - Grant of land development permit for the flag lot allowing a single‑family home: unanimous.

What the board recorded: the board relied on exhibits in the staff packet (identified as exhibits 2, 8, 11 and 12 in the packet) and explicit code sections cited in motions for findings. The board referenced Land Development Code sections for flag lots and minor subdivisions (code citations in packet read as variants of “165‑68(b)” and “165‑126(f)” and related sections) in making its findings. The packet and meeting minutes should be consulted for the official, signed record and exact exhibit numbers.

Chair Reese Perkins closed the item after the vote and thanked the applicant. Staff recommended the applicant contact code enforcement to proceed with permitting and building steps.

Ending: The board completed the item without public testimony and moved on to scheduled training and informational items for the evening.