Committee sends 30 Lake Street zoning petition to planning after assessor‑record discrepancy

Petitioners asked the committee to restore two adjacent parcels on Lake Street to a BN (neighborhood/business) zoning designation after the petitioner said assessor records and purchase documents showed BN at acquisition but later assessor entries listed the parcels as R‑1.

Attorney John Kelty said the parcels were purchased in 2017 and that his client expected BN zoning based on the recorded plan and prior ANR work. “They were identified as BN … and then subsequently the assessors identified it as R‑1,” Kelty said, asking the committee to correct what he characterized as a clerical or assessor error.

Committee members reviewed the petitioner’s documentation and agreed staff should investigate how the assessor’s designation changed. One committee member said the petitioner’s purchase paperwork showed BN and urged staff to look into the assessor and community development records to confirm the history.

A committee member moved to report the petition out of committee favorably and send it to the planning board with advertisement for a public hearing; the committee approved that motion by roll call. The committee also requested that staff provide documentation of assessor changes and any prior planning or ANR approvals before the planning board hearing.

What happens next: staff will verify assessor and planning records; the planning board will be asked to schedule a public hearing and the committee’s favorable report will be included in the planning packet.