Select Board upholds December denial of curb cut request at 126 Main Street

The Select Board voted on March 12 to uphold its December 18, 2024 decision denying a curb cut request at 126 Main Street after a brief reconsideration. The board considered process questions and technical constraints raised by Department of Public Works staff and the applicant’s representative.

The applicant pursued reconsideration on the grounds that notice and process irregularities had prevented attendance at the December meeting. DPW Director Drew Patenaud explained the town’s typical curb‑cut policy requires a net gain of off‑street parking, and he said the proposed curb cut would create a driveway that cannot accommodate a standard 20‑foot vehicle length (the design as proposed was approximately 17 feet deep). Drew also reported that after the December meeting an unapproved contractor disturbed the sidewalk without permits; DPW intervened and the contractor ceased work the same day.

Linda (applicant representative) told the board the proposal creates an on‑site parking space for a conforming Main Street lot and that the Historic District Commission had approved a minimal space under the bylaw. She said the lot configuration and a town tree limit deeper curb‑cut options and that the requested driveway would reuse existing granite curbing. Select Board members expressed concern about setting a precedent for undersized driveways that could lead to vehicles overhanging sidewalks and about circumventing established two‑for‑one off‑street parking expectations when lots are subdivided.

After discussion, Select Board member Malcolm moved to uphold the original decision denying the curb cut request at 126 Main Street; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.