Discussion of the Nick Chasse property adjacent to Chasse Marine got more contentious at the July 10 Damariscotta Planning Board meeting.

Chasse was accompanied by his attorney, who argued that because Chassse had built a parking lot with a building permit, the conditional use permitting process does not apply to him. Chasse owns both the lot where clear-cutting of trees had been done in the spring, and the lot where Chasse Marine, operated by his son John, stores boats seasonally as part of the business. Nick Chasse said he would very likely lease the space to his son, in part, for additional boat storage.

The clear-cutting had caused an opening between the parking lot and a Route 1B business, Head Tide Oven, owned and operated seasonally by Anna Jansen. She had set up outdoor tables for people to lunch and have coffee, and said, in a letter to the board, this part of the business has been damaged by the clear-cutting and the lack of screening.

Jansen is seeking redress by having Chasse plant screening plants, arborvitae trees, a fast-growing evergreen often used for screening and buffering, along a 130 foot-border, or an eight-foot fence. Jansen wrote that since the clear-cutting, the noise has increased dramatically, and there is now a wind tunnel due to a lack of vegetation.

Catherine Blount, a new resident of Damariscotta, lives nearby. She spoke against the Chasse project and the proposed arborvitae screenings as inappropriate and insufficient. She spoke multiple times, occasionally interrupting speakers, and was asked numerous times to remain silent unless she was asked to speak. Blount had written a letter to Stanley Waltz, code enforcement officer, in April, condemning the clear-cutting and the proposed use and insisting Waltz issue a cease and desist order on the boat storage expansion.

At the July 10 meeting, she said the planned plantings were not appropriate because “Damariscotta is not a suburban subdivision.” In any case, she said, the trees would not completely screen the storage facility, since some of the boats reach heights of 18 feet or more.

Town Planner Anthony Dater said the expansion of the parking lot for boats could trigger a site plan review, and that the widely divergent business needs of the bakery and the boat storage company could lead the board to require screening at its discretion, according to the town ordinances. Members had mixed views, with Mark Hagar calling those rationalizations “a stretch.” Others felt the change to the lot did have a significant effect on the small bakery, and that Chasse should be willing to be a good neighbor and plant screenings or erect a fence.

The issue was tabled until the next meeting, Aug. 7. Members will visit the border at 7:30 a.m. The matter also will be on that night’s agenda. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at town hall.

Also Monday, the board unanimously approved Damariscotta River Association’s subdivision at 40 Field Road, the former Freeman land. Half of the land, including the house and outbuildings, will be sold at market rates; the other half will be added to the DRA’s conserved land portfolio.

JM Automotive and Pro-Body Works on Route 1B did not appear for the expected sketch plan review.

John Heller, an insurance professional, received approval to convert a house at 20 Vine Street into a home occupancy office. Heller plans to live upstairs and run the office downstairs.

Scott Dupuis, who is planning a two-bay garage at 4 Rice Way, began the process for a conditional use application, and spent time identifying things that would have to be addressed, including the disposal of hazardous waste, such as oil and antifreeze, and plans for sewage storage and pump-out, since there are currently no sanitary facilities. He agreed to answer the questions in August.

New members Neil Genthner and Adam Maltese were seated for the first time. Dana Orenstein and Jenny Begin, who will serve one-year terms as first and second alternates, were also there.

Menber Shari Sage brought up some concerns she continues to have with the town’s sign ordinance, which was passed last summer, especially as it concerns LED changeable lighting on Route 1B, and also as it relates to a graffiti-laden fence erected at Maine-ly Pawn in response to the board’s requirement to screen outdoor items for sale from view of the neighbors. The other members did not share Sage’s concerns. Sage can bring her concerns to selectmen, and if they seek no changes, she can also raise the issue via petition.

Robin Mayer, chair of the Damariscotta Board of Supervisors, discussed the new ad hoc committee to redesign the site plan ordinances, with an eye toward using form-based code. Several members of the Planning Board are on the committee.