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Planning board finds MOASH application procedurally complete, schedules site visit
Summary
The Readfield Planning Board voted to accept the MOASH nonconforming‑structure application as complete and will do a site visit when winter conditions allow. The applicant says the proposed new three‑bedroom house will be no larger than the existing structure and moves the building farther from the lake.
The Readfield Planning Board voted to find the MOASH nonconforming‑structure application procedurally complete and to schedule a site visit when weather permits.
The vote followed a presentation by the applicant’s representative, Mr. Carr, who told the board the proposal replaces the existing camp with a similar new three‑bedroom structure moved farther from the water. “We’re not increasing the height. We’re not increasing the number of bedrooms. We’re not increasing the square footage,” Mr. Carr said, arguing the plan reduces environmental risk while avoiding major utility relocations.
The board limited tonight’s action to a completeness determination rather than a merits review; Chair opened the matter by saying, “tonight’s purpose is strictly to determine completeness of that application.” That procedural finding allows staff to set a site visit and, after the visit and any requested supplemental materials are received, the board will undertake a substantive review against the town’s nonconforming‑structure standard and the “greatest practical extent” test.
Key details discussed during the meeting: the application shows the proposed structure sited at about a 42‑foot setback from the water (compared with the existing roughly 14‑foot location), the applicant proposes stormwater improvements and a modern septic system, and the plan seeks to minimize removal of mature trees in the town’s 250‑ft critical environmental zone. Board members and the presenter also reconciled the application’s reported sizes: the existing house is listed at 1,898.8 sq ft; the proposed structure was shown as 1,825.1 sq ft in one table and 1,857 sq ft in another. Staff and the presenter said the differences reflect interior living area versus exterior elements such as stairs and porches.
Board members pressed for clarifications about distances on the plan, stormwater details, and potential wetlands; staff said wetland permitting requirements are noted in the application and that no wetlands are currently known on the parcel, but they will be investigated if indicated. The applicant emphasized that moving existing utility easements or power lines would require substantial clearing and cost, and that the 42‑ft location was chosen in part to avoid those impacts.
A member moved to accept the MOASH application as complete with a site visit to follow when conditions permit; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The transcript records the voice vote but does not provide a roll‑call tally. The board instructed staff to coordinate the site visit timing and to request any additional materials needed for substantive review.
What happens next: staff will schedule a site visit when the ground and weather allow so members can inspect topography and vegetation; the board will then reconvene the application for substantive review of setbacks, the greatest‑practical‑extent determination, and required stormwater/erosion calculations.
