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Bridgton planning board schedules site walk after dispute over Sweden Road buffer
Summary
At its July 7 meeting the Bridgton Planning Board scheduled a site walk for July 21 to inspect a disputed 15-foot perimeter buffer on a proposed Sweden Road subdivision after the applicant and abutters sharply disagreed about whether existing vegetation meets the town standard.
Bridgton Planning Board members voted July 7 to hold a site walk on July 21 at 4:00 p.m. to inspect a proposed subdivision on Sweden Road after a dispute over whether existing vegetation satisfies the town’s buffer requirement.
The board heard from applicant Mark Lopez and several abutters over whether a required 15-foot perimeter buffer along the road frontage provides an effective visual screen. Lopez told the board he believes the field’s existing vegetation meets the ordinance definition of a buffer and offered photos to support that point. “Before I bought this, this was a field that was mowed. I believe we meet that standard,” Lopez said.
Board members and neighbors disagreed about the field’s screening value. One abutter, Kathy Pinkham, told the board the area near her property is open and that she is concerned about privacy and potential water impacts to her backyard. “I have four windows to my bedroom,” she said, pressing the board to consider how new houses and driveways will affect neighbors.
The board referenced the subdivision code’s text on buffer strips, noting that “if existing vegetation provides a poor visual screen … a mix of new landscape including trees, shrubs and grasses must be planted.” Rather than ruling from the dais, members concluded a site visit would allow them to judge whether the existing growth functions as an effective visual screen or whether additional plantings are needed.
The board also discussed technical details raised by staff and the applicant during the review: what counts as an undisturbed vegetative buffer under section 6-7(b), the location of building envelopes relative to the buffer, and clarifying where the buffer should be staked on final maps. Several members asked the applicant to provide clear map callouts and to stake buffer and sight-distance points before final approval.
Next steps: the board will inspect the site on July 21 at 4:00 p.m. and then reconvene to decide whether the submitted plan meets the town’s buffering and stormwater standards. The application review remains open and no final approvals were granted at the July 7 meeting.
