Bridgton board defers review of Pleasant Mountain maintenance barn over notice and completeness issues

The Bridgton Planning Board on July 7 declined to begin formal review of a proposed maintenance barn at Pleasant Mountain after staff found that abutter notices within 100 feet had not been sent for parts of the proposed project, including a 19-acre parking-lot/cistern area.

Chair told the applicant the board could not start the review when required 100-foot notices were missing and that proper notice to roughly 20 abutters was necessary before proceeding. The chair also asked the applicant to explain and justify the proposal’s allowable use under the town’s rural-neighborhood standards and to supply a clearer narrative consistent with current code language.

The board identified several documents and clarifications it wants before a completeness determination and public hearing: certified notices to abutters within 100 feet, a financial-capacity letter, cistern specifications (the application references a proposed 30,000-gallon cistern), and a fuller narrative of activities proposed for the maintenance garage (hours, chemicals, vehicles and trench-drain sizing). Planning staff said those items are necessary for a safe, complete review.

Attorney Matt Altery, representing Pleasant Mountain, acknowledged the concerns and asked for an opportunity to address technical questions. “I appreciate the concerns around notice, and the two items that you just addressed,” Altery told the board, offering to provide clarifying materials at the next meeting.

Next steps: The board said the applicant is likely to return in August with corrected notices and the requested supplemental materials; the board will set a public hearing after completeness is established.