Saco Planning Board Meeting – December 16, 2025
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Saco Planning Board Meeting – December 16, 2025
The Saco Planning Board met on December 16, 2025, at 7:00 PM (approximate start) to consider several agenda items, including subdivision completeness reviews, a site plan amendment for the Ecology School, and continued public hearings. The meeting lasted over three hours, with extensive public comment and board deliberation. Key decisions included approving minutes, finding applications complete for Eloise's Place and the Ecology School, and continuing several items to future dates.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The board approved four sets of draft minutes with one correction (December 9 meeting date). Votes were taken individually: December 9 minutes (3-0-1), 42 Ferry Road site walk (3-0-1), 196 Jenkins Road site walk (4-0), 321 Lincoln Street site walk (3-0-1). Board member Catherine Paellini abstained from site walk minutes she did not attend.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Inga Brown (161 Simpson Road): Urged the board to table the Ecology School application completeness review, citing missing legal opinions, lack of financial capacity information, and concerns about the contract zone validity. She stated the turn lane cost estimate (approx. $983,000) and that the construction loan agreement places all cost overruns on the city, with repayment starting in 2035.
- Kelly Archer (185 Bradley Street): Agreed with Ms. Brown, called for the board to deny application completeness due to pattern of delays and lack of information. Expressed frustration with intergovernmental coordination.
- Margaret Mills (168 Simpson Road): Opposed the turn lane requirement for the Ecology School, citing property loss, safety concerns (public access to school site), and questioned the validity of the contract zone. Asked the board to remove the turn lane requirement.
- Deb Hilton (143 Simpson Road): Provided detailed financial analysis of the Ecology School’s audited financial statements, noting operating losses, negative cash flows, substantial doubt about going concern, high debt-to-equity ratio (10:1), and default on USDA loan. She argued the applicant lacks financial capacity to complete the turn lane.
- Phil Hatch (19 Evergreen Drive): Former city councilor, expressed concern about the applicant’s good faith in negotiations, citing financial data showing inability to repay debt. Believed the city should not continue to support the project.
- Kelly Archer (second comment): Reiterated previous concerns, stated that the construction loan agreement has expired, and called for compliance and accountability across all agreements.
- Fr. Basil Lamb (52 Plymouth Drive): Opposed the 94-unit Bradley Estates development, citing traffic dangers, loss of unique conservation land, and the owner’s refusal to sell to conservation foundation. Asked for a smaller development (30 units).
- Inga Brown (second comment): Supported conservation of the 58-acre parcel, called the development number “startling,” and noted the illegal sale of the property.
Discussion Items
- 6A Eloise's Place – Final Subdivision Completeness: Applicant Austin Fagan (BH2M) proposed transferring 60,000 sq ft from lot 5 to an abutter. Board discussed lot access, frontage, and public road status (Eloise’s Place confirmed as public). The board found the application complete (4-0) and scheduled a public hearing for January 6, 2026. Board member Jeff requested additional detail on lot layout for the next packet.
- 6B (moved) 184 Simpson Road – Ecology School Site Plan Amendment: The applicant requested a time extension to June 3, 2027, for condition 9 (turn lane construction). Board discussed legal opinions, financial capacity, and the status of city coordination. After lengthy debate, the board voted 3-1 to find the application complete (Jeff opposed). Public hearing was opened. Testimony from the public raised financial concerns and lack of progress. The board then voted to continue the public hearing and review to January 20, 2026, to allow the applicant to respond and the public to review new information. The board also requested staff clarify the intercreditor agreement and construction loan terms.
- 6C 42 Ferry Road – Preliminary Subdivision and Conditional Use: The board continued the public hearing and review to January 20, 2026, at the applicant’s request to allow more time for updated drawings and staff review.
- 6D 321 Lincoln Street – Bradley Estates (94 lots): The board continued the public hearing and review to February 3, 2026, after extensive discussion on sidewalk connectivity, easement width (20 ft vs. 30 ft), gutter restrictions, and fence placement around the quarry. The board agreed to refine conditions of approval, including a note on ADU restrictions and gutter enforcement. The applicant requested preliminary approval that night, but the board decided to continue for further staff input.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes Approved: Four sets of minutes approved with corrections.
- Eloise's Place: Application found complete; public hearing set for January 6, 2026 (4-0).
- Ecology School: Application found complete (3-1); public hearing continued to January 20, 2026 (4-0). Staff to provide clarification on intercreditor agreement and construction loan.
- 42 Ferry Road: Continued to January 20, 2026 (4-0).
- 321 Lincoln Street (Bradley Estates): Continued to February 3, 2026 (4-0). Board directed staff to refine conditions of approval regarding gutters, ADUs, easements, and sidewalk extensions.
- Next Meeting: January 6, 2026 (with a training session on January 13).
Meeting Transcript
I'm Joyce Larry Clark. I'm the uh vice chair of the Socco Planning Board. Our chair Matt Prevenzel is uh absent tonight. Um, so I'll be running the meeting in his absence. Um, introducing the members who are here, uh, to my right, Jim Muller, to my left, Jeff Roshu and Catherine Paellini, and our city planner Charles Tettelman is holding down the Ford over there by himself. Um as you know, uh, this is a public meeting, public hearing. It's being filmed, it's being recorded. Uh there are uh hearing guidelines at the front of the room if anybody uh needs a refresher on uh how these meetings run. Uh if there's a public hearing in a matter, uh people are invited to come up to the podium, um, speak clearly into the microphone, identifying yourself and your address, along with your uh relationship to the project, if you're in a butter or if you're a another interested party. Um, people initially have a five-minute limit for speaking. If there's time after everybody's had an opportunity to speak, um, people can come back up to the podium for an additional three minutes for new material. Um, uh, our first order of business is approval of minutes. We have a number of draft minutes to review. Um, Madam Chair, I'll um I've reviewed all the minutes, and unless some other board member finds uh an error, a change to make. Um, I move to uh approve all four uh draft minutes. That'd be for the uh December twelfth uh Jenkins Road sitewalk, the three twenty-one Lincoln Street sidewalk, the December twelfth for uh forty two Ferry Road sidewalk, and the uh December ninth planning board minutes. Thanks for the motion, Jim. Jeff. Thank you, Madam Chair. I did want to note, I think we need to make an edit for the December ninth um meeting. Um I think it's important that we kind of change the heading that it was scheduled for December second, but we should make a notation that due to a storm cancellation, the meeting was held on December ninth. I think just by putting that additional edit at the top, it'll make it a little more accurate. Well, Madam Chair, I'll I'll amend my motion to include that change. With that, I wouldn't second that motion. So we have a motion to approve these four sets of minutes with the one change regarding the date of the December 9th meeting. Um discussion. Catherine. I just have a question because I was here only for one of those minutes. Do we need to separate them because I have to abstain from the other ones? I think you have to speak into the mic a little more. Do we need to separate them? Because I'm going to abstain from the minutes for the sitewalks because I wasn't here. I think that would make sense. Can we go through them one by one? You mind amending your motion, Jim? Um well I'll uh I'll withdraw my motion and then we can do one at a time. So I'll withdraw my second. So December 9th meeting minutes. I guess we'd start at the top. I'll move to approve those with the uh correction of the date as Jeff pointed out. I will second that. Thanks for the motion, Jim, and the second. Jeff, any discussion? All those in favor? Jim? Yes. Jeff? Yes. Catherine, abstain. So I'll vote yes.
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