By Kelly Morgan,Staff Writer

NORWAY – Jason Bobrowsky and Coleman Walsh will have some road work to do before selling five lots they plan to subdivide on Ralph Richardson Road.

The Norway Woods subdivision was granted final approval by the Norway Planning Board on Thursday, said Chairman Dennis Gray. “There were conditions,” Gray noted, referring to requirements that include a list of road improvements that must be completed before any lots are sold.

Ferg Lea, planning division director for the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, said Monday he drafted the conditions of approval. They will be attached to the subdivision plans.

One of the more significant requirements, he said, is that Bobrowsky and Walsh improve Ralph Richardson Road to points that run beyond the ends of the subdivision. The road will have to be widened to 16 feet and improved with gravel, ditching and a one-foot shoulder. In addition, the developers will have to install culverts and build the first 25 feet of each driveway.

Also, Lea said, “There’s a limited building envelope and there’s conditions on how much clearing and cutting there can be in the non-building envelope areas.”

Limiting cutting on the land is an inexpensive requirement and will help reduce drainage and runoff problems, including effects on Lake Pennesseewassee, Lea said.

Robert Greenlaw of Back Bay Boundary Inc., of Portland, has represented Bobrowsky and Walsh at most Planning Board meetings since the subdivision was first discussed in July.

He said his clients have some concern about the driveway requirements because prospective buyers may want to purchase more than one lot for single a home.

Greenlaw is waiting to see whether his clients want to reappear before the Planning Board to contest the requirement. If not, the subdivision work would begin soon. “We have to wait until the road is basically dried out,” Greenlaw said.

The Norway Woods application has prompted town officials to discuss impact fees, which are fees charged developers to help pay for infrastructure improvements – such as road upgrades – made necessary as growth occurs. Officials have said an impact fee ordinance could appear before voters at the annual town meeting in June.

Lea said it may take longer to prepare the complicated regulation.

Greenlaw said he hopes the town will consider impact fees and other measures carefully, while also studying state subdivision regulations. “This was the first time I’ve been up against a planning board that really didn’t know anything about subdivisions,” he said.

Greenlaw feels the board was unfamiliar with state recommendations and ways to promote “smart growth,” or development that protects natural resources and scenic beauty while also being affordable.

Bobrowsky and Walsh reduced the size of their subdivision from eight to five lots in response to neighbors’ concerns and to make it fit into the area, he said.