Landowner asks Planning Board about road status while proposing 14 public huts

Jay Marcarian, a property owner in the town’s far northeast corner, asked the Planning Board on Aug. 15 for clarity about road access and permission to develop his land for public use. Marcarian said the roads serving the parcel — between Prescott Hill Road and Morrill Road — are in poor condition and that he could make improvements so the public could use the area; he said part of his plan would be to build 14 huts for families and asked for the definition of a “warming hut.”

Marcarian told the board he had emailed Zoning Coordinator Tim Bray and received no response. Poul Heilmann told Marcarian that the Zoning Coordinator was not the proper contact and that the Select Board would be the body to consult; board members said the Select Board had asked Marcarian to submit a development plan and had not yet received one.

Board member Ken Jacques reported that his research showed Prescott Hill Road is a Class 6 road and that Morrill Road was discontinued in 1882, which Jacques said means the road no longer exists and adjoining landowners regained the underlying land. The board did not take formal action on the proposal during the meeting; members described the conversation as a consultation and directed Marcarian to follow up with the Select Board and to submit any formal site plan or development materials requested by that board.

No formal decision, permitting action, or definition of a “warming hut” was recorded in the minutes. The exchange was part of the meeting’s consultation period rather than an agenda hearing, and further review or permitting steps would depend on materials Marcarian provides and any review by the Select Board or the Planning Board in a future hearing.