MINOT – The Planning Board gave final approval Tuesday night to Lloyd Poland’s 13-lot Village Wood Estates subdivision on land off the old Grand Trunk railroad bed in West Minot.

The subdivision was first proposed to the Planning Board in November 2007 and final approval took 10 months because the subdivision is large. At 49 acres, it is subject to Maine Department of Environmental Protection approval, and it is only phase one of Poland’s plan for his entire 189-acre parcel.

The town’s selectmen became involved in the approval process because they are responsible for insuring that all new roads intended for eventual submission for acceptance are constructed to town-road-ordinance requirements and, as a phased development, the temporary turnaround at the end of a subdivision road was at odds with those requirements.

On July 28, selectmen came to an agreement with Poland that led to their approval of Grand Trunk and Village Wood roads.

Village Wood Estates is on the hill side that, during the Aug. 16 storm, sent water into West Minot Village, taking out Routes 119 and 124.

That storm, with unofficial reports of rainfall as heavy as 4 to 6 inches in a two-hour period, has been estimated to be greater than a 100-year flood event.

The subdivision’s storm-water control plan has received DEP approval for being adequate to handle runoff from normal expected events – a conclusion the Planning Board accepted in its deliberations.