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Board requests wetland delineation and Blanding turtle assessment for Swamp Road proposal
Summary
During review of a Swamp Road subdivision the Bridgton Planning Board asked the applicant to supply an updated wetland delineation and address a Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife recommendation for a Blanding turtle habitat assessment before final action.
The Bridgton Planning Board on July 7 pressed the applicant for additional environmental documentation on a Swamp Road subdivision, asking explicitly for an updated wetland delineation and for a habitat assessment recommended by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW).
Jim Seymour, civil engineer for the applicant, told the board the proposal includes passing test pits and stormwater calculations and that buffer areas and building envelopes had been identified on submitted plans. “We have passing test pits. We have provided stormwater calculations,” Seymour said.
Board members flagged two environmental items for follow-up. First, a letter from MDIFW recommended an assessment of habitat potential for Blanding turtles for wetlands within 250 feet of the project's proposed limit of disturbance, including a photographic log and mapping. Chair read the MDIFW recommendation and asked the applicant to supply the requested documentation.
Second, the board asked the applicant to confirm whether portions of the lots fall in the shoreland zone and whether any proposed lots would violate state rules prohibiting “spaghetti lots” (lots with a depth-to-frontage ratio greater than 5:1 in shorefront situations). Staff asked for clearer mapping to show shoreline frontage, the shoreland-zone boundary and how that affects lot layout.
The board also discussed whether to grant waivers (hydrogeological study and landscaping) and said site review will continue following a site walk; the board scheduled a site walk for August 4 at 04:00 to verify wetland boundaries and layout on the ground.
Next steps: applicant to provide wetland delineation, MDIFW-related habitat assessment documentation, mapping showing shoreland zone boundaries, and any additional narrative that ties the plan to municipal shoreline standards before the board proceeds to final action.
