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Applicant and abutters spar over buffer rules; site walk set for July 21
Summary
At a Bridgton Planning Board review of a Sweden Road subdivision, applicant Mark Lopez argued that existing vegetation meets the town buffer standard while abutters and some board members said visible gaps require planting or other mitigation. The board scheduled a site visit for 4 p.m. on July 21 to inspect conditions before further action.
The Bridgton Planning Board paused final action on the Sweden Road subdivision (Map 9, Lot 22B) after a lengthy exchange between applicant Mark Lopez and nearby residents over whether existing vegetation provides the required 15‑foot perimeter visual buffer.
Lopez, who supplied photographs of the property, said the lot is ‘‘littered with red maples’’ that “will grow a couple feet a year” and asked the board to be reasonable about requiring new plantings. Abutters and several board members said there are visible gaps where houses would be seen from the road and requested a site visit to confirm whether supplemental landscaping or specific buffer plantings are required. The board agreed to conduct a site walk at 4:00 p.m. on July 21 to inspect the road frontage and make a determination based on on‑site observations.
