Late last week, the town of Standish, through Code Enforcement Officer Dan Hill, cited Standish developer Dana Lampron for cutting down a 50-foot buffer zone in front of the future site of Pit Stop Fuels on Route 25.
The town’s citation, charging Lampron with a violation of the town’s ordinances, was quickly followed by a citation from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for cutting vegetation in a wetlands area.
Both the town and the DEP are requiring Lampron to submit a re-vegetation plan for approval.
“He has taken down a lot of large trees,” Hill said. “What I want is a half-way decent buffer.”
Hill added that “there was somewhat of an agreement of a plan” drawn up by a landscape architect. But when the DEP got involved, they were requiring 30 percent more trees and vegetation than Hill, and the plan had to be amended.
In a phone interview on Thursday, Project Engineer Bill Bullard of the DEP said he had approved Lampron’s new re-vegetation plan on Wednesday.
“He did over-cut into the wetlands,” Bullard said. “He will be replanting in spring and will monitor the growth for three years to make sure they take. You have to use appropriate wetlands species that will survive. He didn’t remove many of the stumps so many of those will be re-sprouting in the spring.”
Although no fines were imposed for the infraction by either the department or the town, Lampron has agreed to reimburse Standish for any expenses they might have incurred because of his actions.
In a phone interview, Lampron said he hadn’t known anything about the cutting – that it was the fault of the logging company – but said he’s “taking responsibility” for the mistake.
Lampron upset a number of residents last year with his proposal to build Pit Stop Fuels on this property. The idea was first introduced to the board a year ago when Walter Stinson of Sebago Technics, representing Lampron, presented plans for the property, formerly the Manley Smith residence. To satisfy zoning requirements, Lampron also planned to purchase a strip of land in the back that was owned by Colonial Marketplace.
Lampron proposed a building for the site that would be 2,772 sq. ft., about 1,500 sq. ft. for the convenience store and about 1,200 sq. ft. for the fuel business. The Zoning Board had previously approved the special exception he needed for a building over 2,000 sq. ft.
But the most significant problem came with the definition of bulk storage and whether the Pit Stop met that definition. Since Lampron would be allowed to store oil on his property that would be resold to heating oil customers, many felt that his business would fall under the bulk storage definition and not under retail sales.
While a retail sales classification is acceptable in the Village District, in which Lampron’s property falls, bulk storage, also called warehousing, is not.
As a result of the Planning Board’s decision, abutters Peter and Carolyn Biegel filed suit against the town of Standish, Pit Stop Fuels and Lampron personally in an attempt to prevent the construction of the facility. There has not yet been a ruling on the lawsuit.
Even before the court rules on the matter, Lampron intends to begin building the Pit Stop once he receives his building permit from the town. But, according to Hill, if the court rules against him, Lampron must tear down anything he’s erected.
“I went to the town in front of the appeals board,” Lampron said. “They told me my heating office was retail space. This lawsuit is just another tactic to slow the project down.”
Trees felled in the wetlands area lie on the frozen ground at the future site of Pit Stop Fuels on Route 25 in Standish. Owner Dana Lampron has been cited by both the town and the Department of Environmental Protection for the offense.Send questions/comments to the editors.
