The Damariscotta Planning Board has unanimously accepted a Damariscotta church’s plan to re-plant its property at the northwest corner of Belvedere Road and Rt. 1.
Damariscotta officials required the Damariscotta branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to submit the plan after church volunteers cut down almost all of the trees around the building, unknowingly violating Damariscotta’s site plan review ordinance.
The church will plant a 15-foot buffer between its parking lot and the road, as well as “additional trees along Rt. 1 to provide screening,” according to its site plan review application.
The planning board reviewed the application at its Jan. 7 meeting.
In other planning board business, Dennis Hoppe of Hoppe Enterprises, LLC, and Quick Turn Auto Repair & Towing Inc., met with the board to discuss his plan to add another repair bay to his business off Biscay Road.
Hoppe said he needs another bay to service his tow trucks. The project will improve the appearance of the building and will not enlarge its footprint, he said.
He said he hopes the extra space will help his business succeed so he will eventually be able to hire another mechanic and focus on managing the business.
Hoppe said he would complete an application for the board to review at its next meeting.