China resident presents new plan for property development

by Mary Grow

China resident Chris Harris presented a new proposal for his land on Route 3 to town planning board members at their Oct. 24 meeting. Board members advised on next steps, planning continued review in November.

At their June 27 meeting, board members unanimously approved Harris’s proposed self-storage units at 623 Route 3. Since then, Harris said, enough other self-storage businesses have opened to lead him to reconsider.

At the Oct. 24 meeting, he presented a preliminary plan to subdivide his property into four house lots. He already lives on one, plans a house on another and will postpone development on the remaining two.

Board co-chairman Toni Wall summarized some of the requirements in China’s subdivision ordinance, calling the application process “pretty extensive.” She and co-chairman James Wilkens agreed the area of the existing access driveway across Lot D to the Harris house needs to be deducted from Lot D’s lot area as the driveway becomes a right-of-way.

They also discussed the need to locate wells, septic system and probably house sites on each lot in a final plan. After the final plan is presented, board members will decide whether it is complete, and if it is, will decide whether to hold a public hearing.

The other major agenda item Oct. 24 was the draft revised Planning Board Ordinance, prepared by town attorney Amanda Meader.

Board members found much to like in Meader’s draft, but also had disagreements and questions.

• They do not support her recommendation that planning board members be appointed by the select board, instead of elected as they are now. Using phrases like “an arm of the select board” and “dependent on the select board,” they recommended continuing with an elected planning board.
• They also prefer to continue to have board members elected from four districts in town, rather than from the town at large. Wilkens, especially, praised a system that lets neighbors know who represents them on the planning board.
• They approved the suggestion that terms be longer than the current two years, but recommended three years rather than the five Meader suggested.
• Elaine Mather, the newest board member (who has a legal background), asked if phrases like “sufficient evidence” and “adequate notice” need additional definition.

Wall intends to redraft the ordinance to incorporate suggestions.

The next regular China planning board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Nov. 14. The agenda is likely to include a public hearing on Novel Energy’s application for a community solar garden on Parmenter Hill Road (see the Oct. 5 issue of The Town Line, p. 2). The hearing was originally scheduled for Oct. 10, but was postponed because the planning board had no quorum that evening.