[0:31] Good evening. Welcome to the September 14 meeting of the town of Windom Planning Board, which

[0:39] be called to order. This is a public proceeding. Please advise the chair if you are unable

[0:44] to see or hear something. Please know that the Planning Board members will disclose

[0:49] any potential conflicts of interest of which they are aware of at the start of the applicable

[0:53] agenda item. The Land Use Ordnance, the Comprehensive Plan and Planning Board rules are available

[0:58] for viewing on the town's website and the town office. The ground rules for public hearing

[1:02] applications as follows. I don't think we have a public hearing this evening. No, we've already

[1:10] done it. So we will pass over that and we will get right on to the agenda. And the first thing on

[1:16] the agenda is PB26-06 roll call. Roll call. God. Sorry about that Natalie. Go for it. Leo Javier.

[1:26] here. Here. Well, it's the young here. March Devoney. Here, maybe.

[1:31] Every curtain present. Well, it's the young. It was from who's do that? Sorry.

[1:38] Kathleen Brown, present.

[1:42] Okay. I'm not the one. It's that kind of a day.

[1:45] Our absent tonight is Emily Lee Gear and Rick Yoes. Present for staff is Natalie

[1:52] Thompson Town Planner and Steve Puleo's Plenty Director. You have quorum. Thank you.

[1:58] Okay. First is PB-26-061. Approval of minutes of the meeting of August 10th, 2026. Can I have a motion, please?

[2:07] So moved.

[2:10] Second.

[2:11] Okay. We have a motion. Second. Any comments? Questions? Anything? Seeing none, all those in favor?

[2:20] I'm saying it isn't there.

[2:22] Okay. And one abstention.

[2:24] Next is PB 26, oh sorry, continuing business and accordance with the rules of the planning board no public comment shall be allowed during the continuing business portion of the meeting except as requested by the board. Please send written comments by mail or email to planning board at whendommain.us.

[2:40] 1st is PB-26-069, 25-12 Legacy Village Retirement Community, Major Subdivision and Site Plan

[2:50] Final Plan Review, Web Road, Roby Holdings, LLC, excuse me, the application proposes dividing

[2:57] a 21.43 acre vacant parcel into two lots. Lot 1 would be 15.31 acres for Legacy Village

[3:06] retirement community, a 30-unit detach retirement condominium with the private access drive

[3:11] and Lot 2, which is 6.12 acres as a country subdivision.

[3:18] The property is TaxMap 6, Lot 33F in the farm and retirement community care facility

[3:25] overlay zones with the Blackbrook Presumsquit River watershed.

[3:30] And for the applicant, we have...

[3:32] Good evening, Dustin Roma with DM Roma Consulting Engineers, representing Ruby Holdings, LLC for this application.

[3:41] The last time we were here, we spent most of the discussion around offering around the property as well as kind of an introduction to what we were anticipating to present to you for the multi-family development standards.

[3:58] So we kind of went through that in general and then this final plan application kind of submits those details as far as the park area that we're going to be creating near the end of the roadway with some benches and picnic tables up in a lawn space that's kind of off the side of the

[4:21] So we've got kind of a main utility access corridor that goes down to the

[4:27] septic disposal system area, and then so we've got a trail that will follow down along that,

[4:33] that will also serve as kind of a maintenance road area.

[4:36] But then we've also got the trail that stinks around.

[4:39] Excuse me Natalie, can you get that up on here?

[4:47] Okay,

[4:54] now whether they can see it.

[4:55] Yep. So with this being a condominium type development, we have...

[5:00] Quite a bit of open space that gets created as part of these projects. So, the multi-family standards are fairly easily met of a project of this size. The subdivision plan which you're looking at on the screen there, we did make a revision to that plan to remove the building footprints from the plan that would be signed and recorded and replace them with these building envelopes. This is consistent with some other similar type projects that we've done in the past here in town.

[5:30] It just helps to avoid some confusion going forward where we're going to have multiple different building styles going in for these building units that will all get declared individually on the condo plat as those units get built.

[5:44] And because those aren't set in stone yet, there's a better connection between the subdivision plan and the ultimate condo plat which declares those unit styles on there when we kind of just leave the blank canvas on the plan that gets recorded.

[5:58] So, that was the reasoning behind making the adjustment to this plan.

[6:05] And then other than that, we really just, we had made some additional adjustments to

[6:11] the proposed landscaping to add some trees and shrubs in various areas, especially along

[6:19] the webroad frontage.

[6:21] So we did have some small adjustments in and around the perimeter, but quite a bit of additional

[6:27] landscaping that we've included, a long web row to meet the buffer yard standards, and

[6:34] we've kind of expanded on our table that we showed on the plans to include some columns,

[6:41] which identify the expected mature height and size of some of these plantings.

[6:46] And we also changed up the species of several of the plantings to have the evergreen trees in

[6:55] Amongst the red maples for those street trees, and I believe these adjustments are now in compliance with the buffer standards as well as the street tree standard requirements.

[7:08] Upon going through the kind of the final subdivision plans, we did read in the memo.

[7:15] It's just some kind of cleanup items as far as a few notes on those plans that were brought to our attention.

[7:20] So those will certainly be on the plan that gets signed by the board.

[7:27] Those won't want to make sure those edits have been made.

[7:34] So I think other than that we've kind of went over in detail the kind of the technical aspects of the project at the last meeting.

[7:43] So I think it was really just those multifamily design standards as well as adjustments to the landscaping that were kind of those critical components.

[7:50] and then we also included the draft condominium documents and draft condominium

[7:56] plat that would just show the intent of kind of how those mechanisms would

[8:01] be recorded to be able to sell these units as individual homes. So with that I

[8:09] would turn it back over to Natalie to see if I could fill in any things that I

[8:13] I have missed.

[8:17] Sorry.

[8:24] When overall that, that's just kind of the review history.

[8:30] I don't believe I have any additional comments.

[8:33] The biggest thing I would say is that the condominium docks have been sent to the town

[8:37] attorney and comments haven't been received yet back to us, but they are pending, which

[8:45] is pretty common at the final stage.

[9:01] That's all I have in addition to what he said.

[9:03] I move the major subdivision and site plan final, plan application for project 25-12.

[9:10] Legacy village retirement community is found completely in regard to the submission

[9:14] requirements based on the application checklist.

[9:16] But the planning board retains the right to request more information where a review criteria

[9:20] are not fully addressed.

[9:22] Second.

[9:25] Okay.

[9:26] Any comments or anything?

[9:27] Seeing none, all those in favor?

[9:30] It is unanimous when

[9:35] it goes with the wave of things just to talk about it, even though they're done.

[9:38] Yep, so at the last meeting, we went over this before, but the hydrogeological assessment was waved by the planning director

[9:47] and the connection to public water on lot two was approved at the July 13th meeting when they first came through

[9:57] Who, uh...

[10:00] The first came for their first preliminary, and essentially with a condition, which is on the condition list, that lot, too, will stay a single family home. And if any future development were to be put on that lot, then they'd have to come back to the planning board for a site plan revision. Okay. Great. Thank you. Okay. Yeah.

[10:17] Board just want to correct that that would be a subdivision and then oh sorry my bad

[10:22] Okay

[10:24] Yeah, I'm one just quick house to be noted. I think it says park area C note 19

[10:29] Yeah, that was one of the bulleted

[10:31] You did a good job last time explaining how this complies with the retirement community overlay zone

[10:41] We've had an inquiry from one of the neighbors about that. Could you repeat again how it's

[10:45] supporting the development of that overlaid zone.

[10:49] Sure, so basically my understanding is the town designated certain areas that are close to the main travel corridors,

[11:00] close to emergency service areas and have access to public water facilities nearby that are,

[11:10] So they included those areas in the retirement community and care overlay district and then from there the it's an overlay zone on top of the underlying zone.

[11:21] So it allows additional uses to be permitted at a different density than the underlying zoning allows, provided that the project is designed in accordance with what the housing and urban development standards are for.

[11:39] a age restricted community. So paperwork would be filed annually with the town and the state

[11:48] demonstrating compliance with the occupancy of the units. I did read the questions that came

[11:58] through and I believe there was a question about, you know, would it be possible for the owner of a

[12:04] unit to rent it out to somebody.

[12:06] And I'm aware of one situation where that's happened.

[12:10] It's not common per se, but it's allowed.

[12:14] Where it's about the occupancy, not the ownership.

[12:18] So the occupant of the building has

[12:21] to meet the age restriction criteria.

[12:24] But the ownership could be anybody is my understanding

[12:28] of how that goes.

[12:30] So certainly, if somebody were to buy a unit

[12:33] and rented out, you know, they have a limited pool of tenants that they can select from

[12:38] because they have to meet the age requirements. But it's not unheard of that somebody would do that.

[12:46] My experience is it's been mostly, you know, owner occupied units.

[12:53] But, you know, if somebody were to pass away and the unit were to be, you know, handed down to the kids or whatever,

[13:00] I mean, they could sell it, or they could rent it out.

[13:02] I mean, there's options there.

[13:07] Leo, do you have anything?

[13:09] No, sir, anything ever.

[13:14] I think last time we did talk about lighting.

[13:20] And I believe that you had mentioned

[13:21] that there was a specific design for the street light

[13:25] essentially, but I did not see that on the lighting plan.

[13:29] The lighting plan only seems to cover the viper lights

[13:31] that go on the sides of the building.

[13:34] Not the street light itself.

[13:37] It's right there.

[13:38] No, no, no.

[13:39] I think I'm sorry.

[13:40] Sorry, in the...

[13:42] I might have just taken that from the narrow plan.

[13:44] The application itself.

[13:45] Yeah, so in the application document itself,

[13:48] I think we had just a catalog cut sheet,

[13:51] which is like a shoebox type fixture,

[13:54] which is actually that's a pole-mounted fixture type.

[13:58] Okay, so the street light is going to have a similar

[14:01] or an illumination pattern as the,

[14:03] well, whatever the pattern is that is shown.

[14:05] Correct.

[14:05] Yeah, so that, yeah.

[14:07] And that will comply with any ordinance we have around

[14:11] lighting at the property boundary and things like that,

[14:15] or does that not apply here because it is a street light?

[14:23] That is correct.

[14:26] But given the location of where the street lights

[14:30] are relative to the property boundaries,

[14:32] with the cutoff fixtures and downcast, it shouldn't be an issue with dark sky.

[14:39] I remain concerned about how we can assess that. It's not part of the ordinance today,

[14:44] but again, this is the farm zone. It is pretty dark there, and it probably should stay that way.

[14:50] Did you add anything to the condo docs that puts in place a rule around the lighting on the back of the units

[14:58] that are kind of like, you know, facing to...

[15:01] I don't think that part of the condo docs is included. Right. So what we did is we actually included it. I believe it was a note on the plan as opposed to the condo docs because that makes it enforceable by the town. Whereas the condo docs, they would have to enforce it amongst themselves. And then it could be voted. Correct. They could change it. So this way if it's on the plan, then now the town can enforce it. Okay. Could you could you note where on the plan that is? I'm sorry. I must have not seen it.

[15:36] So note number 16, any light fixture mounted on a wall that faces an exterior property boundary must be downcast and installed in a manner that prevents light from being cast beyond 30 feet from the exterior wall of the structure.

[15:51] Great. So I didn't see that even though it's right above the one that I actually care about, which is park area.

[15:57] Nice job.

[15:58] Um, you know, hey, uh, so good. That is part of that. Um, and there was one more question

[16:05] I had, but it's probably not that important. So you have the, uh, yeah, you have the

[16:09] multi-family design, uh, like the architectural plans in the back of the application,

[16:13] all right?

[16:15] Yep. Yeah, we included some, like three sample buildings, I think.

[16:19] Do you have to, could you pull this up now?

[16:20] Yeah.

[16:21] Everybody to look at?

[16:22] It's easier for me to navigate on this, instead of on your big screen, but I'll put

[16:30] Well, they're looking for that. I have a question to related to that. You basically in there, it says there are three colors, white, gray, and blue.

[16:42] That are going to be used on these. Are they distinguishable white, gray, and blue?

[16:46] Yeah, I mean, those are those are the colors that we've traditionally been using in these neighborhoods, and so you don't have like big reds and stuff, you know, this they all kind of blend in, but they're also differentiated as well.

[16:59] Yeah, back to us.

[17:00] Yeah, and so I think technically, right, the because we've run into this before, the units closest to the street need the entrance facing the street right technically, per the standards.

[17:09] I don't know if you have an accommodation for that where the steps on to the the front

[17:17] porch are, but again, you know, we can't wave that, at least not for now, hopefully that

[17:23] will change. And then do you have a side picture as well, Natalie?

[17:29] I

[17:34] want to see a little one.

[17:34] Sorry.

[17:40] Okay, there we go.

[17:44] So, for the units closest to the road, you're going to have to take a look at

[17:51] the fenestration.

[17:52] Correct.

[17:55] So, as shown on this picture, it would not comply with the multi-family standard.

[18:04] Yep, and I mean, we did something similar with the Dolly Farm project where we added

[18:08] and so those two units that face the road, we've added additional windows and things like

[18:13] that.

[18:13] So I think we would do a similar thing here, we would need to demonstrate compliance because those units haven't been selected yet, like which ones they would be.

[18:23] We would certainly design those units so that we meet those administration requirements, both on the Web Road side as well as the side that faces legacy drive.

[18:33] And then we would have an entrance kind of the same thing.

[18:36] I guess we'd have to do an entrance going in the two directions like we did at Dolly Farm.

[18:41] Okay, I think you solved that one with kind of like the we're not having a door on that cyber with having the steps onto the porch.

[18:46] Yes, we had a front porch area and steps that lead down and so staff will verify that that is all taken care of.

[18:58] Is that in the conditions?

[19:02] Yeah, we can add it will be an added condition to just to make sure demonstrate compliance with the

[19:08] the administration and entry side requirements for units 1 and 15.

[19:15] Okay.

[19:19] And I vaguely recall that we did discuss a shade tree for the recreational area, but maybe on that.

[19:29] And I did not see that on the plan.

[19:31] Can you bring that one up Natalie, so we can see that again, where that is.

[19:37] So I think the discussion about planting a shade tree.

[19:41] Open space area was for the turning leaf heights project. Okay. This one we're retaining. So there's a shape

[19:50] Okay, it's an island of trees that we're retaining. Just want to make sure. Yeah. Okay. Oh, that's it. Is that with a park area?

[19:56] Yeah, so just above where it says park area, there's that island.

[20:00] And that's why we've kind of located it back away so that we can keep some trees there. We'll clean out the understory below them and kind of integrated into the lawn space. That's it for me. Thank you. I just have a couple. Are these going to be heated? How are they heated? Are they going to be with heat pumps? Yeah, it'll likely be a combination. They'll have the forest hot water with base board.

[20:29] and then they'll have heat pumps is most likely what they would do unless a specific owner had a request to do it otherwise.

[20:38] So I've noticed and I know we don't have anything legitimately on this, but heat pumps are placed like willy-nilly,

[20:46] some of them are placed in good spots that they're basically not like the first thing you see when you drive up to a house

[20:55] And some of them are just like right there, but of course, I wouldn't help, I guess,

[21:03] and if these are condos and they're being sold, it wouldn't help the sale much if the

[21:08] bias aren't.

[21:09] Right, and certainly the after-the-fact ones are kind of more of an issue when the ones

[21:13] that get planned in the beginning will be a little more selective as to where they go.

[21:17] Well, that's good.

[21:21] I have one, this one question has been bugging me though.

[21:23] So, when we talked about the street trees, you said there was an area where there were

[21:27] going to be.

[21:27] I don't think it was a transformer, but something on the ground, I don't remember what it was.

[21:35] Transformers.

[21:36] Okay, I do, and I don't know if we can do this, whatever, but I would like to request that

[21:41] there's like low evergreens put around those transformers, because it's a visual,

[21:49] it's a visual

[21:53] to be sitting like a great next to the street.

[21:57] So they could put just a few, evergreen,

[22:01] just some evergreen to basically make it look better.

[22:07] I mean, you have a nice street.

[22:08] You've got some nice houses on it.

[22:10] You've got some beautiful trees.

[22:11] And then you've got some middle boxes sitting.

[22:16] So if you're going to look at putting some,

[22:18] I don't know how many are in there.

[22:20] Is it just that one?

[22:21] There was one spot we talked about.

[22:23] Yeah, I mean there'll be several of those transformer pads and then the

[22:30] as far as they're on the green utility plants.

[22:38] They did that down to fire

[22:39] station and it's much nicer when you drive up to be able to see some evergreen

[22:44] then not be once you know just one of those three feet whatever they don't have to

[22:49] be that pick. That would be great. And I want to thank you for all of the, I don't want

[22:58] to say concessions, not really concessions, but your, your, the ability to be able to

[23:03] come in line with a lot of the things that are going to make this a much better development

[23:08] than it could be. And does anybody have, now have we answered all of that, we had that

[23:16] one from that. I think he's in a butter. I think I addressed him just about kind of how the units

[23:22] would be sold and owned. Yeah, well that wasn't that was a biggie. It's kind of like who's going to

[23:27] you know, can they sell them like after they buy it? Can they sell it to somebody else forever? But

[23:31] I think it's it's important to note that the fact that who lives there has to be right. It doesn't

[23:37] matter. It doesn't matter who owns it. Right. And I did send along to him the state statue on the

[23:47] The aging communities and the standards that it has to meet at that level so about occupancy.

[23:54] So is there also in the condition?

[23:57] Can you bring the conditions up? Is it in the conditions that basically the...

[24:02] Yes, there is a condition. Sorry, it has to be approved.

[24:08] Yes, you know, back from the lawyer and you guys have to approve it before it.

[24:13] That is in here, and then there is also a condition on the, on the age in here as well.

[24:23] Okay, good.

[24:25] I'm very bad at this.

[24:31] Excellent.

[24:32] And I think we discussed about the buffer for the house down below.

[24:38] But during the conversation, you also said that it's quite a distance away.

[24:42] But there's also retaining it.

[24:44] We did add some landscape along basically between that last house and Web Road kind of around that corner.

[24:50] We had like a single row of evergreen trees.

[24:54] And I think the feeling was it could be a little denser.

[24:56] So we've added a little more landscaping down there and adjacent to the road.

[25:00] I don't have anything else to say.

[25:08] So we have the condition of approval now on the

[25:10] administration and the entrance. Yes. Perfect. And the shrubs around the

[25:18] transformers. Yes, so on the transformers, I mean, what I think looks nice is if you

[25:21] kind of maybe put one on either side. I don't know how you do it. As long as it's

[25:25] Yes, yeah, it's not just the box that you see it may be just one on each side. Yeah, that's fine

[25:31] As long as it's not it's just not a middle box sitting in the

[25:35] Next to the sidewalk

[25:37] With nothing there a small mural could be nice

[25:40] I move

[25:51] the major subdivision and site plan final approval for project 25-12

[25:55] Legacy Village Retirement Community Development, identified on TaxMap 6, Law 33F, Zone Farm with

[26:04] the Retirement Community and Care Facility Overlay.

[26:07] In the Blackbrook to Presumpscott, River Watershed is to be approved with conditions with the

[26:13] following findings of fact, conclusions, and conditions are approval.

[26:17] Second.

[26:18] Okay.

[26:18] We have a motion and a second, are there any more comments?

[26:21] Seeing none, all those in favor?

[26:24] Okay. It is approved. Thank you. Thank you. Natalie, do we have any other business?

[26:31] The only other business is that you wanted to elect a person. Oh, a point, a person.

[26:39] You have to go point a person to the conflant and I'm chair. I think we're skipping minutes.

[26:45] The second minute. Oh, I'm sorry.

[26:49] Well, let's do this for us so we get so we don't

[26:57] So actually, I would like to make a motion that we appoint ever to the comp plan to represent

[27:07] the planning board.

[27:08] Second.

[27:09] Okay. All those in favor?

[27:11] You can vote for yourself.

[27:12] It's unanimous.

[27:13] It's unanimous, Natalie.

[27:16] Okay. I'm sorry. I have to go back to PB26-068. Approval of the minutes of the meeting of

[27:23] August 24th, 2026.

[27:26] Thank God, I thought I was going crazy.

[27:28] So moved.

[27:29] Second.

[27:31] OK, all those in favor?

[27:34] It is approved as an if we could have a motion to adjourn.

[27:39] Move to adjourn.

[27:40] Second.

[27:41] OK, all those in favor?

[27:43] It is unanimous.

[27:44] We are adjourned.

[27:44] Thank you for joining us.

Planning Board on 2026-09-14 6:00 PM - Sep 14th, 2026

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