Residents react to largest subdivision ever proposed for Monmouth

Jan. 15—MONMOUTH — Kathy Perless, who lives just south of a proposed 62-unit single-family senior neighborhood, does not think there is anything worse that could be built on the 33 undeveloped acres at 1063 Main St. in Monmouth.

Perless, who lives at 1013 Main St., was responding to a fellow neighbor of the site, Neil Wright, who was the only resident who spoke in favor of the new neighborhood Thursday at a public hearing of the Monmouth Planning Board.

The development would bring 62 identical single-family homes over the next 3 1/2 years, making it the biggest such project in Monmouth’s history, if approved, according to Planning Board Chair Stephen O’Donnell.

Not only would the proposed neighborhood — to be named Hilltop View Estates — disrupt the rural character of 4,000-person Monmouth, Perless said, but it does not reflect the type of development the town should promote.

The developer, 1063 Main Street LLC, formed by Anthony Michaud in May to buy and manage the property, hopes to sell each home for between $450,000 and $500,000.

“It’s a beautiful development, but is it what Monmouth needs or wants at a half-million dollar point?” Perless said. “Is it what people desire?”

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Another resident opposed to the project, Ashley Woodbury, who owns the home at 1033 Main St., sent a letter to the Planning Board in November saying she was concerned the project was “being kept very quiet within the town.” Woodbury wrote that unlike other neighbors, she had not received notification of the project by mail after the project moved forward last fall.

Woodbury also said she was frustrated she did not have an opportunity to meet with the developer’s lead engineer, Jim Coffin, about the details of the project — like Wright said he had — despite her having reached out to Coffin several times. Coffin later said he was advised by a lawyer not to speak with Woodbury in a private setting.

Woodbury’s property is bordered on two sides by the proposed development. She said during the public hearing that she was most concerned about the safety impacts of the stormwater filtration pond planned for directly west of her house and the neighborhood road entrance planned for directly to the north.

“My concern (about the neighborhood entrance) is the traffic coming in and out of there with 62 homes is going to be quite large,” Woodbury said. “Their driveway is directly abutting my driveway. So my concern is also safety and security for pets and my children.”

A traffic study commissioned by the developers found the project would create 27 trips into and out of the neighborhood during peak morning traffic, and would add 31 trips into and out during peak evening traffic. James W. Sewall Co., the firm who conducted the study, said the traffic generated by the development would “not be expected to have a significant impact off-site.”

The public hearing was one of the final steps for the project at the town level before the Monmouth Planning Board considers final approval. A formal review and final vote could come as soon as the next Planning Board meeting, scheduled for March 13.

Any final approval by the Planning Board would first require sign-off from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection on stormwater runoff impact, given the proposed development’s proximity to Annabessacook Lake. Coffin said the project’s plans still exceed the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s allowed levels of runoff impact, and he expected the state-level approval to take several additional months.

Details on upcoming meetings are to be posted on the town’s website.

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