York Town News
New shop planned at historic Brixham Grange
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - There may soon be a new store in that quaint old building on Route 91.Years ago, the Brixham Grange on Cider Hill Road was a small convenience store, before it housed the Brixham Montessori Friends School beginning in 2000.
At last week's Planning Board meeting, the property's owner, Allen Lifvergren, received conditional approval to once again open a store at the historic property on Route 91. Brixham Montessori Friends School vacated the building last year to move to a larger space in York.
Lifvergren, who has owned building since 1995, told the board on Feb. 8 that he oversaw the prior restoration process and, as a function of the deed, the town's Historic District Commission serves in an advisory capacity on restorations.
"The Planning Board does have the authority to approve uses for that site," Lifvergren said, explaining there will be no change to the structure itself. "I'm merely asking to return the approved use to retail, exactly as it was."
Lifvergren said he received a nod from the HDC for the plan last month and that there are no issues with Code Enforcement Office approval for the building, which includes two stories and a full basement, large staircases, cutout areas and bathrooms. The parking lot has 18 approved spaces on gravel, he said, and the building has meets the standard for a school, which is one of the highest standards in the state.
Based on the layout of the building, he said, the useable retail space is within the 2,500-square-foot limit required by the town for such activities in rural areas.
Lifvergren told the board he does have a potential tenant ready to move in and open a store, pending approval.
"I must say the neighborhood is very excited about this," he said.
The board gave a nod to the plan, contingent upon documentation from the HDC and a limit of 2,500 square feet of retail activity.
Earlier in the meeting, the board continued discussions on a request from another local business, the Union Bluff Function Hall, to amend its parking lot design on Ridge Road.
Abutters had not been properly notified of the parking lot plan back in the fall due to a clerical error, so a review and public hearings have been underway since January.
Plans include added buffers and a reconfiguration of the access to the lot to allay concerns nearby residents have expressed about having a parking lot in their neighborhood. The review will continue at the board's next meeting.
Another parking lot issue, an application to expand the lot at Ocean View Village, also brought out concerned abutters. Neighbors to the condominiums detailed drainage and water problems they have endured since Ocean View Village was built.
The Planning Board members acknowledged issues with the as-built plan for the project, adding the issue is problematic because the errors are not the fault of the condominium owners and the plans predate the current board.
"I think it's important for us to understand how water will run off of the site," Chairman Glen MacWilliams said of the request.
Joann Fryer of CLD Engineering, who represented the applicant, said the plans include sloping the pavement from the impervious area to an enclosed drainage system within Ocean View Village to manage any increase in stormwater runoff.
Vice Chairman Tom Manzi asked Fryer to return with alternate designs and to consider whether a plan more in keeping with what was originally approved for the site 20 years earlier would work now.
The Planning Board also agreed to postpone its ongoing preliminary review of the Highland Farm Phase 2 subdivision until next month at the request of the design team, which met recently with the Kittery Water District and the Land for Maine's Future Board regarding concerns about the plan.
"We've been going through some iterations of the plans based on conversations we've had," said Steve Haight, representing the applicant. He said more information will be forthcoming.
The board agreed to schedule the application for March 8 to continue the review.
In other business, the board approved a minor boundary line adjustment for Pine Hill North and discussed an application for Ledgewood Park, to be located across from Wild Willy's on Route 1, and to re-establish a previously consolidated non-conforming lot on Thistleberry Lane. No formal action was taken, pending additional information.
