Greenville may rezone five lots on East Road

GREENVILLE — Five adjacent lots on East Road, just after Stagecoach Road near the Greenville Municipal Airport, may be rezoned from the rural district into the rural development 2 district. The adjustment would allow the lots to be built upon if purchased.

The Greenville Planning Board voted during a Dec. 19 meeting to move the rezoning issue to the select board, after approving the changes last month. Town officials have discussed presenting the zone change at a Jan. 4 special town meeting.

The expansion is in keeping with leaders’ efforts to grow the area economically while preserving its rural character.

“Basically we are doing it to facilitate a little more business around the airport,” Code Enforcement Officer Ron Sarol said. He said an interested property buyer approached the town to see if the switch can be made before a purchase is made.

Sarol said he did not want to divulge the specific development plan, but said it would be low impact and non-residential and would fit within the rural development 2 district guidelines. Sarol said letters have been sent to abutters and no feedback has been received. 

Per the town’s land use ordinance, the rural district preserves the specific quality of life features that make rural areas desirable in an area of the town that has traditionally been in forest and agricultural use, open fields, pastures and stands of trees. Large properties characterize the district. This district is best suited to low-density single-family dwellings, farms, open space or forestlands. Natural resource based industries, home occupations and other low-intensity recreational, commercial and residential uses are permitted with restrictions on size and impacts. 

The rural development 2 district accommodates low- to medium-density rural residential and commercial development that requires larger lots than available with the village area, and a more rural setting. Natural resource-based activities, such as timber harvesting and agriculture, are important uses within this district. This district addresses the need for regional growth, and accommodates the demand for second and seasonal residences,recreational accommodations and services for the transient population. It occupies more rural parts of the town where less intensive uses are desired

“The purpose is to rezone five adjacent lots from the rural district to the rural development 2 district,” Planning Board Chairperson John Contrentri said. The lots border the existing rural development 2 district.

Town Manager Mike Roy said there are other items to bring before the town, so the special town meeting would likely have multiple articles.

At a select board meeting earlier in the month, Roy said after the board approved a municipal lease purchase through Androscoggin Bank for a new public works truck, the dealer the town is buying its new vehicle from indicated it had no interest in the old model as a trade-in.

Instead, the truck will be put up for sale, but after permission is obtained via a special town meeting vote. The sale of town property for more than $5,000 needs the approval of residents. The vote may be taken prior to the Wednesday, Jan. 4, select board meeting.

In other business, the planning board met with representatives of the Holy Family Catholic Church to discuss the sign on the church’s Pritham Avenue property. Sarol said he has been asked about the digital sign, which is located in a part of town where such displays are prohibited.

“After reviewing the permit that was issued by (then Code Enforcement Officer Jack Hart) in 2017, it was issued in error,” Sarol said as the digital feature was not permitted. Land use ordinance updates prohibiting digital signs have been enacted since the original 2017 permit issuance.

He also said the sign may be above the permitted square footage limit of 42 square feet, depending on what parts are considered or 16 more feet than is permitted for this part of town.

“I mailed a letter to the church stating the notice of violation,” the code enforcement officer said. He said he has since met with church officials to work on remedying the situation.

Joe DiAngelo, co-chairperson of the church building committee, said in 2016 a $3 million capital campaign to construct a new church began. An approximate $15,000 part of the project was a sign with a message board to promote church and community happenings.

“We’re here tonight because we feel like everything we have done is 100 percent transparent with our town and with our community,” DiAngelo said. 

“The fact is our sign and our permit is grandfathered,” he added, saying no one was told the permit from five years ago had an expiration date.

Sarol said the original permit did not contain an expiration date but it likely should have. He said for building permits a one- or two-year timeframe is usually part of the document.

“My view is you were issued a permit in 2017 and you are obviously very transparent about it,” Contreni said, saying a $15,000 investment was made. “My inclination is to work with you but I am concerned about the precedent.”

The idea of the Holy Family Catholic Church going before the board of appeals and asking for a variance, to keep the ordinance intact, was suggested. A reduction of sign square footage to make the display compliment was also brought up and church officials will work with Sarol on this. The code enforcement officer will also research what other towns have done in similar situations and bring this information to the planning board.

Contreni said the planning board currently has vacancies for both alternate seats.

“We could use some Greenville residents and generally alternates step up when someone steps off the board,” he said about the five-member planning board.