Cumberland hears 5-lot subdivision proposal
Northeast Civil Solutions' plan for the proposed major subdivision on Blanchard Road in Cumberland. The project would feature five lots plus the farmhouse already on the parcel. (Courtesy of the town of Cumberland)
The Cumberland Planning Board held a pre-application workshop for a proposed major conservation subdivision on Blanchard Road.
The project would have five lots — the minimum number for a subdivision to be considered “major” — plus the farmhouse already on the parcel.
The 22-acre property at 250 Blanchard Road is owned by ME Seacoast Homebuyers LLC, and is being developed by Northeast Civil Solutions. It is located in a district zoned rural residential and has been used as a farm, with both wooded areas and open field on the lot.
At the pre-application workshop on Aug. 18, professional land surveyor Troy McDonald, of Northeast Civil Solutions, presented the proposed subdivision to the board.
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The project would have five lots served by public water, but on private septic systems. A homeowners association would be set up to manage the open space, said McDonald, and the HOA would also be in charge of plowing the subdivision road.
To meet the requirement of a conservation subdivision, mandatory in this zoning, half the property must remain common open space. While the farmhouse is on the parcel, the outsale contract means the farmhouse property would not count toward the conservation space.
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The public and board discussed which areas of the parcel should protected by the conservation requirement.
Cumberland’s Lands and Conservation Commission Chair Denison Gallaudet said he thought the parcel had three high-value conservation areas: over 5 contiguous acres of prime agricultural lands, significant wildlife habitats and more than an acre of healthy native forest. He requested that the lots be more clustered so that more of the valuable habitats can remain intact.
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“The development is remarkable in its abundance of high-value conservation areas. With thoughtful design of the common open space, many of these areas can be preserved in perpetuity,” said Gallaudet.
During public comment, abutters also said the development should have a bigger setback from the road under the town’s land use ordinance, expressed concerns about the subdivision’s road intersecting with Blanchard Road, and requested that trees be planted along Blanchard Road so residents across the street would not have to see the subdivision.
The planning board and town staff will address the concerns over the course of reviewing the project, said board members.
No planning board action was taken. Since the project has over four lots and is considered a major subdivision, it would have to go through both a preliminary and final approval process to get stamped for construction.
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Tagged: housing and urban development, Planning Board, subdivision
Sophie is a community reporter for Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth and Falmouth and previously reported for the Forecaster. Her memories of briefly living on Mount Desert Island as a child drew her. More by Sophie Burchell
