City planners OK Kenduskeag Avenue subdivision

BANGOR – Despite neighbors’ concerns about a pond and traffic, members of the city’s planning board on Tuesday approved a three-unit subdivision off Kenduskeag Avenue in a 3-2 vote.

The subdivision involves a roughly 20-acre parcel off Kenduskeag Avenue. Last month, the parcel was rezoned from rural residence and agricultural district to a low-density residential district.

Though it was not part of the application before the board, neighbors’ concerns stemmed from plans that the developer, Paige Investments LLC, disclosed during a City Council hearing preceding the zone change.

At that time, Carl Snow, a representative of Paige Investment, said the developer ultimately wants to put single-family homes on the two small outer lots and a subdivision of as many as 60 lots on the larger tract in the center.

Neighbors, including David and Linda Hunter and Lucy Quimby, expressed concerns that the proposed subdivision would add traffic to narrow Kenduskeag Avenue, which already is experiencing a spike in traffic from Glenburn.

Neighbors also wanted the city to acquire an open space easement that includes a small farm pond cherished by the neighborhood, but planning board Chairman Robert Guerette said the board did not feel comfortable doing that without assurances that the city wanted to assume responsibility over the pond.

In other business, the planning board approved:

. Capital Pizza Hut LLC’s plans to demolish its restaurant near the Bangor Mall and replace it with one of its Italian Bistro prototypes. The new construction will involve a 3,455-square-foot building and 708-square-foot cooler unit. The restaurant will have a pickup window.

. A site development plan for Earl Black, who plans to build a detached storage garage at 1162 Union St.

. A site development plan for M.D. Hardy Inc. for an 11,600-square-foot warehouse and office building on Dowd Road.

. A final subdivision plan revision for Walden Parke LLC. The revision involves renaming an approved street in its Edgewood subdivision off Essex Street.

. Preliminary subdivision plan approval for the second phase of the Woodridge subdivision off Bomarc Road. The second phase of the project, being developed by Woods of Maine Inc., encompasses 21 lots.

. Conditional use and site development plan reapproval for a 19-lot expansion of the Birch Hill Estates mobile home park, off Judson Heights Boulevard. The expansion was approved several years ago, but the city approval lapsed.

. A site development plan for a 930-square-foot first floor addition and a 1,070-square-foot second story addition to Karam’s Hardwood & Millwork at 592 Hammond St. The second level, which will be built above the existing retail section of the building, will contain two apartments.