The South Bristol Planning Board granted three permits for the Gamage Shipyard project at its Oct. 18 meeting.
The shipyard still needs to collect various local, state and federal permits.
The project includes as its centerpiece, the removal of a large, dilapidated hangar and the replacement of the hangar with a modern structure, primarily for boat storage.
The planning board, with one abstention (Chairman Rory Craib), approved a permit for the construction of the replacement “multi-use building and connector structure… subject to required [Dept. of Environmental Protection] permits.”
The smaller “connector structure” will attach the storage facility to an existing building on the site and will contain office space and restrooms.
Following this permit, on successive votes, the planning board granted a permit for a minor expansion of a rental bungalow on the same property, as well as an associated flood hazard development permit.
The bungalow delayed the process as planning board member John Harris said the town never permitted the existing structure, potentially making it illegal and subject to fines or removal.
The board eventually granted the permit “subject to resolution of potential violation of shoreland zoning.” The selectmen have the authority to enter into an agreement with the property owner or attempt to force removal of the structure, South Bristol Code Enforcement Officer Dan Kaplinger said.
Kaplinger said the selectmen were unlikely to pursue fines or removal. The bungalow was built in the early mid-1980s, according to anecdotal reports.
A handful of neighbors abutting the project, including two who, at a previous meeting, expressed concerns about the project’s effect on navigation and neighborhood aesthetics, attended the Oct. 18 meeting.
This time, the neighbors didn’t voice opposition to the project, instead gathered around project engineer Tom Fowler’s laptop to look at a three-dimensional rendering of the project, which appeared to satisfy some concerns.
The neighbors also asked questions about the future construction of another residential building on the property, expressing concern about the prospect of condominium-style development.
Gamage Shipyard General Manager Steve Morris said the building would likely be a three-bedroom house and “absolutely not” a condominium.
The demolition of the hangar or shed, as Morris often refers to it, will wait until March, he said, as the company wants to have all necessary permits in hand before starting work.
Morris said he’d install a webcam so Gamage Shipyard clients around the world can watch the demolition of the historic structure, which has fallen into a state of disrepair. “I could sell tickets to the removal of this building,” he joked.
Gamage Shipyard expects to meet with the selectmen this winter to discuss facets of the project, such as additional slips and marine railways that fall under the selectmen’s jurisdiction.
Following the receipt of every other permit, Gamage Shipyard must return to the South Bristol Planning Board for another flood hazard development permit, Kaplinger said.
In other business, the South Bristol Planning Board will meet with the Bristol Planning Board Thurs., Oct. 20 for an informal discussion of common issues, Craib said.
