Orrington subdivision wins preliminary OK

ORRINGTON – The planning board gave South Ledge subdivision, a 22-lot single-family housing development planned for Route 15, preliminary plan approval during Thursday’s regular meeting.

Property owners Cynthia and Robert Garside, who live on Swetts Pond Road, are proposing the subdivision, which is planned for an area just south of the railroad crossing in South Orrington.

“The lots seem very nice,” Chairman Louise Morin said before the board’s unanimous approval. “You’re going to have a nice subdivision in there.”

Jim Tower, of Engineering Dynamics Inc. of Bangor, presented the board with the preliminary plans for the Garsides, who were not present.

“Every lot will have its own house, well and septic system,” he said.

Each house lot is approximately 2 acres. A 3,100-foot winding roadway will be cut into the slowly rising ridge, with several house lots available along the top of the rise.

Another 800-foot road will branch off the new road to provide access to the several other lots in the southern portion of the 44-plus-acre property.

“There is a lot of elevation between the top and the bottom of the development,” Tower said, adding that the new road will not exceed an 8 percent grade. “The road has been laid out in such a way, to meet the town’s standards.”

The Maine Department of Transportation has issued the project an entrance permit, but other state permits, including wetland mitigation, storm water runoff and a blasting permit, are in the works, Tower said.

One abutting landowner was at the meeting questioning if the terrain was considered while planning the development, especially a vernal pool located and identified on the preliminary site plans that feeds a spring on her property.

“The road is going by the vernal pool, but not through the vernal pool,” Tower responded. “We have identified it on the DEP application.”

Morin informed the abutter that under state law only identification of vernal pools is required, but added that next year the law will change requiring a 250-foot barrier for all identified vernal pool areas.

Final plans for South Ledge are expected to be presented at the next planning board meeting, scheduled for Sept. 21.