Planning Board preliminarily approves Mia Lane subdivision, accepts wells and grants off-site fire-protection waiver

The Town of Wells Planning Board gave preliminary approval Jan. 27 to the Mia Lane subdivision after accepting on-site wells as the water source and agreeing to a waiver for on-site fire hydrants.

Staff summarized the application's history and the additional water data the applicant supplied, including a letter from a well driller and an inventory of nearby wells. Staff said bringing town water to the site would be considerably more expensive than private wells; the estimate provided to the board showed roughly a two-to-one cost differential, though exact figures were preliminary.

Unidentified Speaker (S4), an abutter, raised soil contamination concerns near the railroad and asked for water-quality confirmation before the board acted: "there's been contaminated soil in the area," they said. Staff responded that a drilled well must be installed and tested for water quality before an individual lot can receive a building permit, noting, "Before you can get a building permit, you have to install the well and test the water." The board relied on that permitting step in voting.

After hearing that wells must be installed and tested prior to permits and reviewing driller data and state well records, a board member moved that wells be accepted as the water source; the motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

The board then considered off-site fire protection. Staff noted the nearest municipal hydrant at the Route 1/Burnt Mill Road intersection is about 1,800 feet (roughly 0.34 miles) from the site and another private hydrant on an adjacent subdivision is approximately 550 feet away through woodland; staff emphasized the fire department can utilize private sources when fighting fires. Members discussed options to mitigate risk, including performance guarantees and the potential for in-lieu payments to town infrastructure, but concluded the hydrant proximity and department access supported granting the requested waiver. The board voted to approve the fire protection plan with the waiver unanimously.

Board members also discussed buffers and screening. Staff and the applicant agreed that in many wetland areas a vegetated buffer or wetland-reclamation planting plan would be preferable to a standard fence; the board asked for a landscaping/screening plan to be submitted with the final application. Staff recorded the plan's open-space ratio and told the board the plan shows about 52% of open space as upland; final stormwater calculations and detailed landscaping plans will be required at final.

The board approved and signed preliminary findings of fact and decisions, subject to the items the staff had highlighted to be addressed at final application. The preliminary approval allows the applicant up to six months to return for final approval, though staff said the applicant expected to return sooner.