Minutes of meeting

                                                Lancaster Planning Board

 

Meeting held upstairs in Town Hall              Wednesday February 13, 2008

 

Attending: Chairman Steve Young, Vice Chairman Les Hilton, Selectmen’s Representative Leo Enos,  Joe Hoey, and John Brooks.

Alternates: Justin Carter

Excused: Claude Reed and Administrative Services Manager Becky Newton

Absent:  David Rexford, Aurore Hood and Leon Rideout.

Others attending: Daniel Fournier

 

            Chairman Steve Young called the meeting to order at 6:30 P.M.  Roll Call followed.  At this time Chairman Young appointed Alternate Justin Carter to be a full voting member for the meeting.

 

Initial Business:

            To review and approve the minutes of the January 9th meeting.

A motion was made by Les Hilton and seconded by John Brooks to accept the minutes as written with the following corrections – Page 3 – top of page change the to “to” and under Other Business in second paragraph take out the word ‘the” and further down where Becky Newton spoke about the cell tower change town to “tower”.  After discussion a vote was taken and the motion carried.

 

Public Hearings:

 

Major Site Plan Review:

 

Case #697 – Richard Harris/Daniel C. Fournier d/b/a/ Lancaster Auto Sales for a Major Site Plan Review.  Applicant requests to lease and operate a used vehicle dealership in an area zoned commercial-industrial. 702 Main St.  Tax Map R1 Lot 1.  Review application for completeness.  Decide on date for public hearing.

 

Mr. Fournier spoke at this time and said that he plans to lease the building from Mr. Harris. Right now he is planning on having 50 good used cars.  He will have 2 salesmen and someone to clean the building.

 

Joe Hoey asked if there was an existing building there already.  Mr. Fournier said that it is the previous building of Mr. PreFab.  Mr. Fournier then pointed out on the map that had been included in the packet where things were to be.

 

Leo Enos asked if he would be using all of the building and the answer was yes.

 

Steve Young told him that he would need to get a Change of Use Permit from the State DOT.  Mr. Fournier said that he was aware of that but he hadn’t done it yet as he was coming to the Board first to get things done in order.

 

Justin Carter asked if he thought that the building would be big enough and Mr. Fournier said that it was. 

 

Les Hilton asked about the lighting and would it be bothering any of the abutters.  Mr. Fournier said that there would be spotlights but the would not be bothering anyone as there are no houses in that direction of the lighting.

 

Les Hilton asked if it was zoned as industrial/commercial and the answer was yes.

 

Leo Enos stated that he would have to be set back 50’ off the edge of the town line.

Mr. Fournier said that it would be.

 

Mr. Fournier said that he was only going to have 50 cars to start with; they would be good used cars and bank financials.  It would not be a junkyard.

 

John Brooks asked about a sign.  Would it be on a post or on the building?

 

Steve Young said that Mr. Fournier could check with Becky Newton on that, as there needed to be an application on file and there is  a certain dimension for signs. Mr. Fournier said that he was working with her.

 

John Brooks asked if they were going to do servicing such as oil changes etc.

 

Mr. Fournier said not now but as the business grows they might look into that and he is aware that he would have to come back to the Board if he does.

 

Justin Carter asked if all of the lot was gravel.

 

Mr. Fournier said that it is mostly gravel with some field.

 

Leo Enos asked how big the lot was.

 

Mr. Fournier said that the whole area including the storage buildings is about 71/2 acres but he is not sure just how big the lot that he is leasing is.

 

Les Hilton asked if he was using the back lot and the answer was no.

 

Leo Enos asked if the owner’s signature needed to be on the application.  Mr. Fournier and Steve Young said that they would check that out.

 

Les Hilton asked when would they be opening.

 

Mr. Fournier said that he would like to open the first week after he has gotten all of his approvals.

 

Les Hilton asked if the application was complete without the owner’s signature.  There was a lot of discussion, as Mr. Fournier is leasing not buying.

 

A motion was made by Joe Hoey and seconded by John Brooks to accept the application as complete with further information about the owner signature to be looked into and brought to the next meeting.  A vote was taken and the motion carried.

 

Mr. Fournier then asked the Board if they thought there would be any further problems with the process that he might need to be aware of and take care of before the next meeting. At this time the Board said that they didn’t see any.

 

Other Business:

Chairman Young passed around the necessary paperwork that needed to be signed regarding the Raymond Dubreuil case.

 

Chairman Young then read a letter that was in the packet from the Provan & Lorber Firm.  Steve Young felt that the Board looks at each case that comes before the Board as a “case by case basis” and we cannot tell the applicant whom they have to have to do certain things that are required.  John Brooks said that he felt that we should not lock a client into a specific engineering firm.  After much discussion a vote was called for.

A motion was made by Joe Hoey and seconded by Les Hilton to state that the “Lancaster Planning Board feels that the applicant should have the right to chose their own engineering firm who is registered in the State of New Hampshire for their particular projects.”  A vote was called for and the motion carried.

 

Chairman Young also brought up that there would be a Spring Planning and Zoning Conference on April 26th and he would be attending and if there were others who wanted to go maybe they could all go together, there will be more information following.

 

Also in the packet was an article from the Union Leader regarding shore land rules.

 

A letter from DES to Abbott Furniture regarding further development.

 

Noting that there was no further business to come before the meeting a motion was called for to adjourn.

A motion was made by Les Hilton and seconded by John Brooks to adjourn. A vote was called for and the meeting adjourned at 7:05 P.M.

 

Respectfully submitted:                                                                     Approved:

 

 

Sandra E. Doolan – Clerk                                                                 Steven D. Young

                                                                                                            Chairman