Camden Zoning Board of Appeals to consider application for lakefront house reconstruction, expansion
CAMDEN — Meeting Thursday afternoon, March 10, first for a site walk on a piece of property adjacent to Megunticook Lake, and then convening for a at 5 p.m. via Zoom, the Camden Zoning Board of Appeals will consider an application by the waterfront landowner to demolish, rebuild and expand an existing cottage footprint within the 100-foot setback from the lake.
The ZBA is addressing this application because the project, at 237 Beaucaire Ave., involves changes to nonconforming structures in the shoreland zone, in the town’s Rural 1 District.
According to a memo from the Camden Planning and Development Director Jeremy Martin, the project calls for demolishing the existing house and replacing it with a new house, and to use the 30 percent expansion allowance for buildings in the required setbacks.
The ZBA’s job, he said, is to decide whether the project is in compliance with setback requirements, “to the greatest extent possible,” quoting the town’s land use ordinance.
“In determining whether the building meets the setback to the ‘greatest extent practical’ the Board shall consider the size to the lot, the slope of the land, the potential for soil erosion, the location of other structures on the property and on adjacent properties, the location of the septic system and other on-site soils suitable for septic systems, and the type and amount of vegetation to be removed,” Martin wrote.
The lot size is 45,114, a little more than one acre.
The plans note that the footprint of the existing building is 1,256 square feet. With a 30 percent expansion, the footprint would be 1,632 square feet.
Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657