Pownal planning board hears Stetson Farm conservation subdivision; asks applicant to revise lot counts

The Town of Pownal Planning Board on May 21 reviewed a concept plan for the proposed Stetson Farm Conservation Subdivision, a 127-acre parcel with frontage on Poland Range Road and Brown Road that the applicant proposes to protect in part with an agricultural easement while developing homes on other portions of the site. Applicant Jim Cram presented the project; planner Peter Biegel of Land Design Solutions walked the board through a multi-sheet submission showing delineated wetlands, vernal-pool investigations and FEMA floodplain checks.

Board members and staff focused on how the town's ordinances affect the plan. The submitted net-residential-density calculation in the plan shows 37 lots, while the conceptual layout Peter described contains 36 single-family lots and five duplex lots. Board member Brian Stornelli and staff noted that wetlands and steep slopes must be excluded from net residential area, that the Minor Subdivision Ordinance limits 600-foot dead-end roads (which constrains internal road layout), and that duplexes may require additional lot area under the land-use rules. "You will really need to go back to the drawing board," Stornelli said, urging a rework of house-site placement and lot counts.

Why it matters: the board said the town's technical rules on road frontage, lot-area calculations and septic capacity materially change how many home sites are feasible. Town staff and board members also raised environmental and permitting questions: Planning Secretary Marcia Bowen flagged vernal-pool-survey timing and requested clearer labeling for steep-slope areas on submitted maps; staff confirmed the applicant will need to confirm floodplain and permitting details with state and federal agencies.

Residents who live near the parcel made a range of concerns during a lengthy public-comment period. Abutters said the proposed driveway locations and additional traffic would materially change Poland Range Road and Brown Road, which several speakers described as lightly traveled rural roads used by walkers and riders. "This would result in a density of 5-7 homes for this area," an abutter said of the conceptual layout and the precedent it might set. Several residents raised groundwater and septic concerns: VeVe Miller and others asked how dozens of new septic systems and leach fields would affect nearby wells and a shared aquifer.

Environmental risk was raised explicitly by wetland professional Doug Stewart, who told the board that "the East Branch of Chandler Brook is on the TMDL list of deficiency water with the State of Maine" and urged more careful analysis of runoff and wastewater treatment. Conservation-commission members and other residents also pressed whether vernal-pool surveys met state guidance and whether cumulative impacts to the brook and wetlands had been fully assessed.

Supporters and technical advisors offered a different view of the plan's merits. Longtime local land professional Mike Whitney told the board he thought the plan was "one of the nicest plans I have seen," praising its identification of house sites and conservation areas. Ben of NorthStar, who said he is coordinating some technical review, told the board he would revisit specific ordinance calculations with the applicant but that more detail was required before the town could complete a technical review.

Board action and next steps: the planning board did not vote on the subdivision. Instead the board asked the applicant to revise the concept plan, clarify frontage and duplex-lot calculations, address vernal-pool and floodplain questions, and consider submitting formal waivers (the board suggested a waiver for lots 13 and 14). Applicant Jim Cram said the project will return for further review in July or August. The board also reminded residents that formal notifications and the full application materials will be posted on the town website as the process continues.

The planning board approved routine minutes and adjourned at 7:38 p.m.; no zoning or subdivision approvals were granted on May 21.