Planning Board tie vote denies Dollar General
Board members recused prior to DG vote
By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
NAPLES — Two Naples Planning Board members recused themselves prior to the vote on the Dollar General’s major site plan.
A resident brought it to the attention of the planning board that several regular board members were not present during the times that the proposed Dollar General was on the agenda.
During the public hearing on Sept. 17, only regular member Doug Bogdan and Martina Witts were present. Also, alternates Martin “Marty” Zartarian and Jenn Leeman were in attendance.
On Tuesday evening, Chairman Bogdan read the letter from Jim Grattelo, questioning whether or not regular members could make sound decisions after missing meetings.
Then, when the board reached the agenda item, Grattelo who had come to the meeting in person, questioned board members again.
At that point, board member Jim Allen recused himself.
“I will step down. I haven’t been to all the meetings. I have missed most of them. I haven’t watched all the videos,” Allen said.
He did not participate in the site walk on Aug. 6 either.
Board member Sue Fleck stated she has reviewed the recordings of the meetings she had missed. Also, she was present for most of the Dollar General meetings as well as taking part in the site walk.
Chairman Bogdan claimed he had missed a meeting and had not caught up by watching the video-recording. Therefore, Bogdan recused himself from votings.
Alternate Leeman had attended all the meetings, but missed the site walk. However, Leeman felt confident about making a decision that evening since she was very familiar with the location of proposed Dollar General store.
The course of events that occurred left four people voting: Witts, Fleck and alternates Zartarian and Leeman.
By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
NAPLES — The approval to build a Dollar General was denied after a tie vote of the Naples Planning Board.
The biggest reason cited was a safety concern, the traffic issues that could be created by a new entrance and exit directly across from the Naples Shopping Center, which houses the Umbrella Factory Supermarket, the UFO liquor store, a Subway fast-food restaurant and Walgreens.
When the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) traffic engineer approved the curb cuts for the proposed Dollar General, that engineer did not take into account peak season traffic or the existing businesses across Route 302, according to Planning Board Alternate Marty Zartarian.
He reiterated that the proposed project site has an entrance directly across from a plaza with a grocery store, a pharmacy, and a large beer and wine store that draws people from all over the region.
“I spoke with the MDOT people. He was the one who approved the plan and I spoke with his supervisor,” Zartarian said. “Their conclusion is that while the driveway certainly meets state requirements. The DOT does not take seasonal fluctuations into account, does not take into account the distance from Route 302, and the existence of the shopping plaza. In reading through MDOT guidelines, our municipality is responsible (for mitigating any traffic problems). The data tells me we are going to be over the threshold of 100 in’s and outs for the driveway cutout.”
The average traffic count came to 80 ins and outs, according to the paperwork.
“During the summer months, I don’t even try to go east onto Route 302. I drive all the way around the back of the building and use the traffic light to get onto Route 302,” Zartarian added.
Immediately after Zartarian’s comments, Bob Berry, of Main-Land Development, spoke.
“First of all, it is totally inappropriate to apply seasonal adjustments. The traffic engineer is a licensed engineer. DOT would not approve an entrance permit for something that is not safe,” Berry said. “That doesn’t mean there won’t be an accident there. There are accidents every day at entrance onto Route 302, from here to Windham.”
On Tuesday night, the planning board voted, 2-2, to approve the project. The tie vote means that the motion of approval failed.
Voting members were: Martina Witts, Sue Fleck, Zartarian and Jenn Leeman. Fleck and Zartarian voted against the project.
The proposed site is the undeveloped field between Moose Landing Marina and Gary’s Olde Towne Tavern.
The agenda item began with comments by Attorney Mark Bullock, of Adams & Bullock, the firm representing landowner and developer Dan Craffey. He echoed much of what was presented in a letter to the planning board dated Sept. and written by Lawyer Samantha “Sam” Adams.
He talked about how the developer has taken the residential neighborhood, the community of Naples, and the requests of the planning board into consideration by altering his plans.
“As a result, the plan will stand as a testament to our commitment to Naples. You are now looking at the nicest Dollar General in existence . . . bringing essential goods closer to home, providing employment while keeping the distinct rural character of Naples intact,” he said.
He promised the building would “not be an eyesore or a burden.”
“We have done everything to go above and beyond. Now is the time to finalize the project so we can move forward,” Bullock said.
Some examples of going above and beyond included adding details to the sketch of the building and putting an 8-foot cedar fence around the perimeter to give neighbors more buffering. These are examples provided in the letter from Attorney Adams.
“At the recent public hearing, concerns were voiced regarding the appearance of the building and how it might blend with the existing village landscape. Specifically, preferences were expressed for signage with individual letters, barn-style lighting, and greater architectural detail and interest. In response, we have reimagined the building design to more prominently reflect a traditional New England aesthetic that is more harmonious with the town’s character, while incorporation of barn lighting and individual letter signage serve to address these concerns comprehensively,” she wrote.
Planning board member Sue Fleck disagreed that the sketch design illustrated a building that was harmonious with the surrounding structures.
“I am personally still struggling with the exterior of the building. I just want to voice that. There are other Dollar Generals that have been modified more. The gable end toward 302 in my opinion needs more work, to soften the image, to be harmonious with existing buildings,” Fleck said. “I personally believe the pencil still needs to be sharpened on this. That is my opinion. That is what has been voiced to me by the public.”
Later, Fleck addressed the traffic issues, saying when she went on the site walk in early August, she brought up her concerns. She said that she had faith in MDOT to review those factors, and was surprised to hear the distance from Route 302 as well as the existence of the shopping plaza were not taken into consideration when the state approved the curb cuts for the project.
The planning board was under the gun to make a decision this week.
“We are up against a 60-day deadline. That would be Oct. 5 to either approve the conditions or deny,” according to Naples Town Planner Kathy Tombarelli.
