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Lancaster Select Board approves private-road building, appoints zoning alternate and grant administrator, denies tax appeal
Summary
The Select Board voted unanimously to allow building off a private/Class VI road with recorded liability waivers, appointed Scott Lambert as a one-year alternate to the Zoning Board, named Donna Lane as CDBG grant writer/administrator for the AHEAD/McKee Inn project, and denied a Land Use Change Tax appeal for Tax Map R12, Lots 55 & 56.
The Lancaster Select Board on June 16 approved multiple routine but consequential items, including permission for a proposed Lupachino cabin to be built off a private/Class VI road provided recorded waivers of liability are executed for each building. Selectman Leon Rideout moved the private-road approval; Selectman Kathy-Jean Lavoie seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Town staff and the Planning Board had determined the access meets the technical definition of a road rather than a driveway, but Land Use Coordinator Robin Irving recommended the town not accept the way as a town road. The board instructed staff to add the approval conditions to the site plan.
In other formal actions, the board accepted the Zoning Board’s recommendation to appoint Scott Lambert as an alternate member for a one-year term. Selectman Lavoie moved and Selectman Rideout seconded the appointment, which passed unanimously. The board also appointed Donna Lane as grant writer and administrator for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) tied to the AHEAD/McKee Inn project; that motion likewise passed on a unanimous vote.
The board denied a Land Use Change Tax (LUCT) appeal for Tax Map R12, Lots 55 & 56 after Town Manager Jessica Cyr read Northtown Associates’ recommendation; Selectman Rideout moved to deny and Selectman Lavoie seconded. The motion was approved by all members present.
Votes at a glance
- Approve building on private/Class VI road (Lupachino cabin): mover Leon Rideout; seconder Kathy-Jean Lavoie; outcome: approved unanimously. - Appoint Scott Lambert, Zoning Board alternate (1-year term): mover Kathy-Jean Lavoie; seconder Leon Rideout; outcome: approved unanimously. - Deny LUCT appeal for Tax Map R12, Lots 55 & 56: mover Leon Rideout; seconder Kathy-Jean Lavoie; outcome: denied unanimously. - Appoint Donna Lane as CDBG grant writer/administrator (AHEAD/McKee Inn): mover Kathy-Jean Lavoie; seconder Leon Rideout; outcome: approved unanimously.
Why it matters
The private-road approval lets an applicant proceed toward building while protecting the town from long-term maintenance obligations by keeping the way private and requiring waivers of liability. The CDBG administrator appointment moves a federally funded housing project closer to implementation, and the LUCT denial preserves the town’s current tax treatment for the parcels at issue.
What’s next
Staff will add the road-approval conditions to the site plan, record required waivers of liability, and proceed with grant-administration steps for the CDBG application. The Zoning Board will seat Scott Lambert as an alternate; the denied LUCT appeal is final for this meeting and no further action was recorded.
