The Whitefield Planning Board voted Feb. 16 to meet with the Board of Selectmen concerning a nettlesome property issue on the Mills Road.
In December 2005, the board met in a pre-application session for a three-lot minor subdivision on land owned at the time by River Run Trust. There were two houses on the front part of the property; a third parcel out back that a prospective buyer was interested in lacked sufficient road frontage.
The board expected to review a subdivision plan at its January 2006 meeting but it was never presented. It now appears part of the property was sold illegally. It’s still a subdivision issue and there’s a cloud over it, said planning board member Bob Bills. In addition, there is a minimum lot size issue as well.
The lot size error was recently discovered by assessors agent Jim Murphy who found “it didn’t fit the definition of a legal lot,” said Bills. Murphy told the select board, which then asked the planning board to investigate.
In reviewing a deed in town files last week, the board also discovered the property was identified as being located in Waldo County. “So it’s not a legitimate deed,” said member Christi Mitchell.
Board member Stephen Smith said he recalled the River Run applicants returned to the board at some point to say they were “not going to do a subdivision but sell two lots in the front.”
Lacking sufficient information about what has transpired at the site the past five years, the board recommended meeting with selectmen and the town attorney.
Planning board pro tem chairman Jim Torbert said the matter appears to be a town enforcement issue.
