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Neighbor questions deeded access lane at Washington Planning Board site walk
Summary
At a June 19 site walk, landowner Phil Byers said deeds show a lane providing access to lots TM 13-27 and TM 13-39; neighbor Allan Treadwell said tax maps indicate the lot is landlocked. The board accepted title documents, will notice additional abutters and allowed limited work before a permit hearing.
Julius Peel opened a Washington Planning Board site walk on June 19 at the East Washington Road property associated with Phil Byers’ cordwood business. Byers told board members he uses a deeded lane to reach lot TM 13-27, drops logs about 200 feet in along the driveway for convenience, and plans to build a house on adjacent lot TM 13-39 while keeping the wood business as a separate operation.
Byers said his deed shows the access lane belongs to him; he also told the board he stores only a tractor on site and rents other equipment as needed. Neighbor Allan Treadwell said his property line is marked by a stonewall and that, when he bought the property, he was told Byers’ lot extended only to the Eccard stonewall. Treadwell told the board he sees no evidence of an easement or right-of-way in public files and asked the board to review the property records.
Sandy Eccard produced a letter, deeds and title searches for TM 13-27 and TM 13-39 showing a lane 27 feet wide at the road and 65 feet wide where lot 13-27 begins. The town tax maps, however, label Byers’ other lot as landlocked, creating a conflict the board said it would resolve during the formal hearing process.
Planning Board Secretary Nan Schwartz said the new documents identify Ordway and Jamali as abutters who must be noticed; Peel said the upcoming public hearing is where the board will hear abutter comment and make a decision after reviewing property files and titles. The board did not record a formal vote during the site walk, but members told Byers he may continue seasonal work at the site before the permit is granted; the board noted that activity would typically occur in cooler months and that no lighting would be installed.
Jon Piatt, who arrived at 6:25 p.m., was briefed by other members before the visit adjourned at 6:35 p.m. The board’s next procedural steps are to review the deeds and title materials, provide required notice to newly identified abutters Ordway and Jamali, and hold the public hearing where a formal determination about the access lane and any permit conditions will be made.
