ROCKLAND — A proposed multi-unit residential development at 438 Old County Road, in Rockland, returns before the Planning Board, Tuesday, March 17, on the heels of a same-day site review of the property.

Following a pre-application meeting with the Planning Board in August 2025, the developers and engineers of the proposed Emerald Pines Town Houses were left to obtain approval from authorities, such as the Fire Marshal’s Office and City departments. They also needed to alter some aspects of the property configuration. Some of those alterations were based on Planning Board comments. Others came from new standards recently authorized by the City.

One key piece of information was noted after the application submission by Mid Coast Home Solutions, LLC, with the assistance of Gartley and Dorsky Engineering, for two structures housing two-bedroom townhouses for a total of 16 units (32 bedrooms total, along with a single-family house that would be rented as well). The corner lot classification for this property now changes the setback along Riverwood Drive to 15 feet instead of 5 feet, according to engineer Alyssa Pulver, during a March 3, 2026 Planning Board meeting. The building affected by this change in setback will now be rotated outside of that setback.

“It’s the same layout, everything,” said Pulver. “We just shifted and rotated it slightly to meet that setback.”

Along with space for a vehicle in the garage of the single-family structure, the plan now proposes 31 parking spaces, according to Pulver. At the pre-application meeting in August, the plan proposed 51 spaces.

Planning Board member Patricia Burke didn’t recall any suggestion of reducing parking in favor of green space during the August 2025 pre-application meeting. She recalls questioning the rationale of a single-family home on a multi-unit development site, therein suggesting razing that structure and allowing that space to be green space. And also, “we know that most people who live in this area do require a car, and sometimes two cars.”

Reflecting on the same meeting, Pulver said reducing parking spaces "was discussed as a possibility of reducing the amount of pavement, so we have brought that down significantly. And we’ve also cut back on the amount of pavement near the existing barn. We’re proposing quite a bit more vegetation over there, to work with that standard.”

There are also some improvements proposed to the barn as well. The barn will be used for maintenance equipment: lawn mowers, etc.

The City no longer requires any parking spaces per unit, aside from what is required by State and Federal laws in terms of ADA compliance. For Emerald Pines, the plan proposes 5-foot wide ADA compliant sidewalks along the front of each of these units, and one ADA space per building with van-accessible access.

But what about headlights? What would headlights be shining onto as they drive into the property, asked Planning Chair Clair Stanton.

According to Pulver, some landscaping is proposed for the end of the access drive, and all parking is directed toward the building. So any headlights would be temporary.

“We did orient it in a way such that we would not have headlights directing into abutting properties, when they are parked,” said Pulver.

Landscaping plans have become a challenge for the engineers due to new landscaping standards by the City that have been misinterpreted already. The City continues to work with the project in clarifying the ordinance language.

However, for this Lindsey Brook watershed property, the water, sewer, and stormwater aspects are a bit more straightforward here.

Water: After a second review by MaineWater, the previously proposed 2-inch domestic line is now to be a 4-inch line, plus a 1-inch lateral to each unit.

Sewer: An 8-inch sewer line with manholes will be installed.

According to Pulver, the stormwater plan has a series of piping and catch basins, and a very large detention area that the majority of the stormwater will run into. The detention structure will detain that water and then slowly drain that water into the stormwater system along Old County Road.

“And as I mentioned, it’s going to be a reduction in the amount of stormwater that currently goes through the stormwater system,” she said.

A dumpster will be onsite, on concrete pad, with wooden fence around it. Snow storage area will be to the north of the property, at the end of the parking lot. Wall mounted downward facing lighting will hang above each door.

Electricity will be underground.

Watch the March 3, 2026 Planning Board meeting here: 

See our previous article: Development of single-family rental units proposed for Old County Road 

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com

CITY OF ROCKLAND PLANNING BOARD AGENDA

Tuesday March 17, 2026 at 5:15 p.m.

Rockland City Hall Council Chambers

1 .Call to Order and Roll Call:

2. Communications:

3. Old Business: 1. Continue the review of an application and site plan (PB26-10) submitted by Gartley and Dorsky Engineering & Surveying on behalf of Mid-Coast Home Solutions, LLC for a 20,160 square foot multi-family rental units (3 buildings in total) located at 438 Old County Rd, Tax Map 78-A-5. -PUBLIC HEARING-

4. New Business:

5. Other:

             1. Memo and Ordinance discussion (every agenda)

             #10 Chapter 19, Sec. 19-206 Business Park Zone – Allowed Uses An amendment to the City’s Zoning Ordinance to allow health & medical, social and trades services in the Business Park Zone.

              2. Vote Chair and Vice Chair for year