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Board grants preliminary approval for Danville Corner Road housing project, sets MDOT and open‑space conditions
Summary
The planning board granted preliminary approval to a large Danville Corner Road housing proposal (69 single‑family homes plus multifamily buildings) but required a traffic analysis, a written statement from MDOT, a 2,000 sq ft leased‑lot demonstration per single‑family dwelling, and either contiguous open space or a fee/alternative plan; staff and counsel debated lease structure and whether leased lots must meet minimum lot sizes.
The Auburn Planning Board granted preliminary approval to a multi‑parcel housing proposal along Danville Corner Road but attached multiple conditions aimed at clarifying traffic impacts, open‑space compliance and the proposed land‑lease structure.
Staff summarized that applicants had supplied additional financial capacity and ownership documentation but had not completed a full traffic analysis. Counsel for the applicant, Rick Abandanza, described the proposal as a land‑lease model in which the developer retains ownership of the ground while buyers would lease the land beneath their homes; he said leases are typically subordinated to mortgages. Board members pressed whether leased lots must meet standard minimum lot dimensions (10,000 sq ft and 100 ft frontage in single‑family zones) and whether the open space shown satisfied the ordinance’s contiguity requirement.
Several board members said the submitted open‑space layout appeared fragmented; one member asked the applicant to either reconfigure the plan so open space is contiguous or to pursue the ordinance’s fee‑in‑lieu option and bring the fee recommendation to the recreation committee. The board also sought a firm traffic‑impact analysis and a written MDOT statement on whether the project would materially affect the planned Washington Street/Danville Corner intersection.
A motion granting preliminary approval included explicit conditions: submission of a traffic impact analysis, a written MDOT opinion on intersection impacts, final plat recording and water/sewer easements to the Auburn Water & Sewer District. The motion also required the final plan to show a 2,000 sq ft leased lot per single‑family dwelling and either depict contiguous open space as required by section 60-1367 or present an allowed alternative (fee/in‑lieu). The board adopted the motion after two amendments adding the traffic‑analysis requirement and standard recording/easement conditions.
The board emphasized that preliminary approval does not constitute final acceptance; if required items cannot be resolved, the applicant must return with revised plans or a fee‑in‑lieu request for review by the recreation committee and final board action.
