Nature's Way Estates - 15-lot subdivision gets preliminary OK

Nature's Way Estates, a planned 15-lot subdivision off Lambert Road, gained preliminary approval at Monday's planning board meeting. Residents Dennis and Sharon Davis own a 113-acre lot off Lambert Road that they plan to split into two large lots. The first 60-acre lot will be subdivided into 15 lots of 3 to 4 acres each.

"It's a unique, secluded and environmentally friendly subdivision," Dennis Davis said after the meeting.

Davis said the subdivision plans call for large wooded house lots, with brooks and wildlife on the property.

The proposed subdivision is situated between Lambert Road and Eaton Brook and a portion of Meadow Brook. Ten of the 60 acres will be used as open space, and the 3,500-foot-long road into the subdivision will divide and separate the two wetlands on the property, according to Ames A/E engineer Vinal Applebee.

"Fourteen of the 15 lots will be offered for public sale and the largest lot will be retained by the owners," he said. "We took a lot of pain[s] to ensure that the road doesn't meander down the two streams. It's convenient for us that the wetland is divided ... which presents the least amount of wetland disturbance."

There is a possibility that five of the 10 open space acres could be given to the city as part of its plans for a Penobscot River walking trail. The plans for Nature's Way Estates include city water, individual sewers for each household, street side culverts and a sidewalk.

The preliminary plan does have six conditions or waivers that mostly deal with technical issues, such as identifying the wetlands on the plans and identifying trees that exceed 14 inches in width, which is required by the city.

"With a 113-acres subdivision, we're not asking for that," City Planner Linda Johns said about the tree waiver. "We're asking them to identify trees in the open spaces and along the road right of ways."

The street plans and storm water runoff proposals also will be reviewed at the final plan stage of the application before approval for the project is given.

A copyright story from the Bangor Daily News by Nok-Noi Hauger, Of the NEWS Staff: Tuesday, August 3, 2004.