OXFORD – A 12-lot subdivision on Pigeon Hill was approved Thursday despite concerns from a Mechanic Falls town official about its proximity to that town’s transfer station.

The subdivision, on 45 acres, is planned by former state Sen. Rick Bennett and his wife, Karen. Bennett said he plans to build there and relocate from his present home in Norway.

Darryl Brown of Main-Land Development Consultants Inc. of Livermore Falls handled the project for Bennett at Thursday’s public hearing. He said the lots will average around 3.75 acres and be developed for single-family housing.

Mechanic Falls Assistant Town Manager John Hawley told the board that lots 8, 9 and 10 will directly abut the transfer station property. Although the actual transfer station is at least 1,000 feet away, the property is also used for dumping and burying demolition debris, he said.

Mechanic Falls currently is using about 10 of the 118 acres it owns on Pigeon Hill. No outdoor burning is allowed, but the town accepts debris and demolition materials of a non-hazardous nature for burial.

Eventually, he said, Mechanic Falls will want to expand the area used for dumping in the direction of the subdivision land. Hawley said he wanted the town of Oxford to know that “even though you don’t see us there now, down the road you will” as Mechanic Falls expands its transfer station operation.

He said Mechanic Falls does not oppose the subdivision. But he asked the board to require a notation on the plans stating that the approval was made with the understanding that a transfer station was nearby.

Brown was adamant that such a notation “sends a negative message” and that it is “not incumbent on us to put that on there.”

The board agreed, despite Hawley’s contention that real estate transactions don’t always include a full disclosure on what is happening with abutting lands.

Bennett took issue with Hawley’s concerns and his suggestion that stinking garbage may be noticeable to people who buy subdivision lots.

“This strikes me as being a bit strong and a bit much,” Bennett said. “Karen and I and my kids are going to live there. I don’t know of any rules that say we have to” notify buyers of development that may happen in the future.

Police Chief Ron Kugell said he thought the subdivision was “well thought-out” with “nice, large lots.”

Resident Archie MacDonald wondered whether it would even be legal for Mechanic Falls to expand very close to the subdivision property. “How can they keep going and going and ruin your property?”

Hawley said he just wanted the issue to go on the public record.

“I just want people to know that we are there, and there is a potential that we could get closer,” he said.