Editor,
We have sent the following letter to Wells town officials:
Dear Mr. Livingston and Town Planners of Wells,
We are writing to protest the Submission of the Final Application for the Harborside Village Subdivision, dated Feb. 5, 2019. The Application is illegitimate as it does not include criteria required for submission (i.e State and Federal Permits, etc), as stated in Chapter 202-9 Final plan for major subdivision:
“5) Prior to submital of the final plan application, the following approvals shall be obtained in writing where appropriate:
(a) Maine Department of Environmental Protection, under the Site Location of Development Act and the Natural Resources Protection Act”……………
“(f) An Army Corps of Engineer dredge and fill permit”
(g) NPDES permit for stormwater discharges.”
The other requirements such as “A revised letter from KKWWD” are required with the corrected number of dwelling units proposed. The Pre-Application Draft for Approval states the number has changed from 42 to 41 however the Final Application still states 42 dwellings.
Moreover, the Harborside Village Subdivision violates Code 202-2:
The subdivision:
(5) Will not cause unreasonable highway or public road congestion or
unsafe conditions with respect to use of the highway or public roads
existing or proposed;
“By adding “approximately 248 new average daily vehicular trips onto Stephen Eaton Lane”(as stated on p.15 of Draft to Deny the Pre-Application)) to and from Route 1,” the project will make an already dangerous intersection worse.
On Aug. 13, 2018, a week after the Planning Board narrowly approved the Pre-Application for Harborside Village, at approximately 3:20 p.m, a three-car accident at the intersection of Harbor Road and Route 1 occurred.
According to the Draft for possible Denial of the Pre-application for proposed Harborside Village, a reason to deny the pre-application states on p. 15 of 17:
“Also, a safety condition exists with the total number of accidents reported from Coggshall Lane to the intersection of Route 1 and Route 109.”
We forwarded to you photos and even the official Police Crash Report of this accident and will be happy to re-forward you that if you have forgotten it, as no response to us was ever given from either the Planning Office or the Planning Board regarding this accident and its location near Stephen Eaton Lane.
Also, in Facts and Findings of the Draft to Deny the Pre-Application the increase of Daily Average Trips will add 248 average daily trips to already 514 average daily trips and ” the Planning Board finds the 48+/- increase in trips will cause unreasonable congestion.”
The Traffic Impact Study in June of 2018 was paid for by the Developer of Harborside Village and clearly biased,showing minimal adverse impact on Stephen Eaton Lane and omitting the above facts regarding the increased Average Daily Trips.
The Planning Board and Office still have the opportunity to reverse the decision to accept the Harborside Application and to regain the trust of the good people of Wells who depend on the Planning and Development Board to protect them from such dangerous and irresponsible projects with such obvious egregious problems such as Harborside Village.
We urge you to please deny The Harborside Village Project an Extension.
Grace Trifaro, Rose Maloney, and the residents of Stephen Eaton and Bourassa Lanes
Wells
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