By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
The South Portland Planning Board hosted a joint workshop with the Cape Elizabeth Planning Board to review plans for a proposed 42-unit condominium development on Carlisle Road, a dead end street, located roughly 150 feet from Highland Avenue and abutting the municipal boundary with Cape Elizabeth.
Earl and Mavis Brown of A.E. Brown Company, Inc. are proposing to develop a 24-acre wooded site in the vicinity of the Wainwright Field complex and abutting South Portland’s wastewater office and bus garage, a Central Maine Power (CMP) right of way and Cape Elizabeth. A portion of the abutting property in Cape Elizabeth is privately owned.
Dave Kamila, a civil engineer with Stantec in Portland, said the conceptual designs call for a development similar to the Browns’ Beach Landing development in Willard Beach.
The 42 units – between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet in size – will be considered individual homes with “condo style ownership.” Kamila said homeowners will be able to choose from six floor plans and customize the plans to some extent, but the homes will primarily be built in the center chimney Cape style. The homes will be wood-framed, energy efficient and laid out in a solar orientation to provide future opportunities for residents to harness solar power, he said.
Kamila said the two bedroom, one-story homes will be “designed for active adults.”
“These aren’t going to attract young families,” he said. “We’re designing a project that is more attractive to the empty-nester crowd.”
Kamila said the Browns had not determined whether or not they would implement an age restriction on the property.
Earl Brown said the property will be developed in three phases with 15 or 16 units constructed in the first phase. He said the homes will cost roughly $400,000.
Kamila said the units will be clustered to avoid adversely affecting wetlands and to provide a buffer of 100 feet from a stream, which eventually flows into Gambler’s Arm Brook.
“What we’ll try not to do is contribute to the deterioration of that stream,” Kamila said. He said with a private road, they can construct a narrower road, limiting impervious surfaces.
Kamila said an existing trail on the property will be maintained and stream crossings will be required. Because of the stream work, the site will require Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permits and a National Resources Protection Act (NRPA) permit.
South Portland planner Stephen Puleo said he was concerned about only one access point to the development, as it could pose safety issues. He said the fire department would also likely be consulted about regulations regarding the length of dead end streets. Puleo said the maximum length of dead end streets in the city is 600 feet.
Cape Elizabeth Planning Board member James Huebener questioned whether there would be an opportunity for Cape Elizabeth to “tap into” the development’s public sewer service. Kamila said the development will not be designed for future extension.
Puleo said because the site is roughly 200 feet in elevation, it would not be reasonable to run an extension. He said Mulberry Commons, located on Barnstable Road, is an area that could provide future extension opportunities with less of an adverse environmental impact.
A preliminary review of the project will likely take place in January, Puleo said. Following the preliminary review, the Browns have a six-month period to file an application for a final review
On Oct. 16, the Cape Elizabeth Planning Board will hold a public hearing on a 46-unit condominium development proposed for Eastman Road. If approved, the development – targeted to the 55 and older population – would be the first of its kind in the town.