Subdivision plan for 1124 Route 5 questioned over access, frontage and drainage

Applicant Anthony DeMarco presented plans for a site at 1124 Route 5 and questioned whether a subdivision was necessary. Planning staff and board members replied that the proposed uses are allowed in the zone but may not be allowed on the same lot, prompting the review of a subdivision.

The board said it does not favor an entrance routed through an existing restaurant parking lot and offered two alternatives: seek permission from the State Department of Transportation for a curb-cut swap, or relocate the entrance to the side of the property near the bottle-return building and pursue a lot-line adjustment to avoid a new curb cut. The minutes state that the proposed plan “creates a lot that does not have road frontage,” which the board flagged as a key problem.

The board also instructed the applicant to provide an engineered drainage plan and a catch basin (the applicant had proposed culverts to mitigate sheet flow), to design a fire-truck turnaround for fire department review, and to finalize septic design (current septic sized for one-bedroom apartments; applicant adjusted dens to be smaller with glass enclosures). The board’s comments indicate the application requires additional engineering details before further approval can proceed.