Belgrade planners approve lakeside deck rebuild for Bellinger with stormwater, revegetation conditions

The Belgrade Planning Board on July 16 approved a shoreline permit for a lakeside property at 44 Avena Shores, finding that the proposed deck replacement and pergola/roof change met shoreland‑zone standards with conditions.

The applicant (recorded in the file as Michael Bellinger) described the proposal as a like‑for‑like replacement and said the net increase in impervious/deck area would be 34 square feet; he noted an earlier typographical error that listed the distance to the lake as 340 feet instead of the correct 30 feet. "I actually added a 0 — it's actually 30 feet," he said while clarifying the application materials.

Board members raised impervious‑surface questions because the shoreland ordinance limits unvegetated surfaces to 20 percent of the shoreline‑zone area. A board member said driveway square footage is material to that calculation and asked staff to confirm current figures. The board also noted the application did not include a separate stormwater management plan and used standard conditions to require best‑management practices. One member suggested a dripline infiltration trench; the applicant agreed to include a runoff control measure.

The board added a condition that all bare soils resulting from the project be revegetated prior to use of the new porch. The permit was approved with four standard conditions of approval and with one board member recorded as abstaining on some votes where a recusal or abstention was noted in the record.

Next steps: staff will notify the applicant of the required conditions and note the revegetation and stormwater items in the final permit documentation.