Ellsworth planning board accepts Sportsman’s mobile home park plan as complete after debate over wells, access and ownership

The City of Ellsworth Planning Board voted May 6 to accept as complete a preliminary plan for Sportsman’s Mobile Home Park, a proposal to add eight rental mobile‑home lots on about 22.56 acres at 1239 Bangor Road in the Roseon district.

Amy Young of Plymouth Engineering, speaking for the applicant, said the project proposes a dead‑end extension called Fisherman’s Way off the existing Sportsman’s Court, eight new rental lots under single ownership eventually, separate septic for the new lots and either use of an existing well or drilling a new well if capacity falls short. "These will be rent, not sold," Young said, adding the applicant has provided a soil evaluation and a letter from a local well driller and has proposed a 10,000‑gallon cistern with a dry hydrant for firefighting because the site sits outside the city water service area.

Board members asked detailed questions about contamination history at the former gas station on the site, monitoring and responsibility for the cistern, accessory building requirements and how residents would access mail and school buses. One member asked whether documentation existed showing underground tanks had been removed; staff noted the environmental closure letter from the state is in the packet and that site closure had been indicated in the deed. On the cistern, the applicant said the tank would have a level alarm and valves; the board emphasized the need for a monitoring arrangement and for clarity on who would receive alarms.

Members pressed the applicant to make ownership consolidation a condition of approval. The applicant said the plan is to bring the parcels under single ownership after approval; a board member said making consolidation a condition would help ensure required sewer/septic access, green‑space requirements and maintenance responsibilities are preserved. The applicant and staff also discussed the UDO requirement for accessory utility buildings (a 64‑square‑foot minimum) and confirmed dumpsters will be screened and that a second dumpster would be added later if capacity requires it.

Board members raised access and circulation concerns: because the new road is a dead end with limited turnaround, residents likely would continue to use the existing 1A entrance for mail and buses, which could increase daily traffic patterns at that intersection. Members asked the applicant to consider locating common services (mailboxes, dumpster, playground or other usable open space) and shown turnarounds so the residents on the new roadway would have equitable access.

After public comment and a brief discussion, the board moved and seconded a motion to accept the major subdivision and major use site plan application as complete for further review. The motion was recorded and seconded in the meeting record; the roll‑call vote was not included in the transcript.

Next steps: accepting the application as complete allows staff to continue technical review and prepare materials for a future public hearing on final approval and any conditions the board chooses to impose, such as a required lot merger, cistern monitoring protocol, or specified locations for additional dumpsters or mailboxes.