After a site visit to Head Tide Oven and Chasse Marine and the new parking lot Chasse built early this spring, the Damariscotta Planning Board decided additional screening would not be necessary between the bakery and the parking lot.

Head Tide Oven, at 456 Main Street on Business Route One, incorporated in 2014 and is owned by Anna Jansen. It is a seasonal business and open a few days a week. When Jansen bought the property, the property behind hers was a heavily wooded, vacant lot, owned by Nicholas Chasse. Next to and behind her lot was Chasse Marine, operated by John Chasse, whose land was leased from his father, Nick. Chasse Marine does boat repairs, mostly in season, and boat preparation and winter storage.

Nicholas Chasse decided to remove the vegetation and build a parking lot on the site, which was adjacent to his son’s marine business, and planned to lease it either to John or to another party for commercial storage or to expand the Chasse Marine parking lot for employee parking. Because it was going to be a commercial site, the Planning Board required that he screen the parking lot from the residential neighbor on the other side, and he did so with arborvitae trees. The board said there was no requirement for Chasse to inform neighbors of his intentions; he obtained a building permit from Code Enforcement Officer Stan Waltz.

However, Jansen was upset about the removal of the trees, saying it increased noise pollution and smells from the marine company, and created a wind tunnel effect through the breezeway at the bakery where people sit out and have baked goods and coffee in the summer. A third unrelated party, Catherine Blount, wrote to the town manager, the planning and select boards and Waltz, and demanded a cease and desist order preventing storage of boats on the property, and later, demanding screening between the parking lot, Chasse Marine, and the bakery.

She also said she spoke for the elderly residential neighbor, characterizing her as “terrified” to come out and speak about her feelings on the subject. The neighbor’s son had come out to speak with the planning board and the Chasse party during a site visit earlier Monday and told board members his mother was fine with the screening planned. Blount said at the evening meeting that the elderly neighbor’s wishes were not being communicated properly by her son, and board chair Jonathan Eaton said he would ask her daughter to come in and discuss it. “We heard from people who care for her and have her interests at heart,” Eaton told Blount. “I’ll speak with her daughter. If more screening is needed, we’ll discuss it with Nick.”

No one from Head Tide Oven was present at the site visit, although they had been informed of it, Eaton said.

The only noise discernible during the site visit came from cars on Route 1. Some board members said they could smell oil, but said there had never been screening between Chasse Marine and the bakery, so that would not have changed from the time the trees were removed from the adjacent lot. 

Over Blount’s and Jansen’s objections, Nicholas Chasse has permission to use the lot for parking his own boats and other vehicles without restriction. If he chooses to lease it to John or another party, the person leasing the space will have to come back before the board for a site plan review.

The other major issue on the agenda was an initial sketch plan review of the Damariscotta Main Street LLC retail development at 435 Main Street, near the Lincoln County Rifle Club. The developer, Dan Catlin, demonstrated some sketches of possible buildings, and discussed possible waivers to the requirement for 25 feet of plantings between Main Street and the shops. Plans include a fairly firm order for a bank with a drive-through, a smaller retail or restaurant business, and a larger structure that could hold several businesses. Catlin fielded questions from board members, the alternates and a few residents. A public hearing will be held Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Pemaquid Oyster Company agreed to a plan with its neighbor to use its right of way only for personal vehicles; all business traffic would be conducted by water. 

Dupuis Garage was approved to run a small two-bay garage on Business Route 1 and Rice Road.

For the second month in a row, JM Automotive and Pro-Body Works, also planned for Business Route 1, did not send a representative for its preliminary plan review for its body shop and used vehicle lot.

Board member Shari Sage discussed her concerns about light pollution from open-sided LED lit signs in town, which are permitted under the sign ordinance. The board did not wish to move forward with a repeal of the sign ordinance or any part of it. Sage now plans to collect signatures to bring the issue to the voters in November.