Lisbon Planning Board approves waterfront food-truck site plan at 743 Lisbon Street

The Lisbon Planning Board voted to approve a site-plan amendment for Waterfront Eats plus market at 743 Lisbon Street in Lisbon Falls, allowing food trucks on the waterfront and related signage and parking arrangements.

Planning staff told the board the application is essentially an amendment to an existing site plan and recommended the board review updated parking dimensions submitted by the applicant. Planning staff noted outstanding items including sewage-disposal details, the number of portable restrooms proposed and waste-container capacity for the expected number of visitors. "I would recommend just that the board take a look at that as well," planning staff said during the packet review.

The applicant said he expects the operation to begin modestly — "maybe 25 to 50 people a day if they're doing good" — and proposed two dumpsters to be serviced by Casella and four portable restrooms initially. "If it doesn't seem like it's sufficient, I believe we can ... put more in there," the applicant said, adding that restroom and waste capacity would be scaled to demand.

Board members asked whether state health guidelines establish a fixed formula for restroom counts; planning staff said there are general guidance charts but no single state-prescribed formula and that staffing and facilities should be based on observed need. Staff also confirmed parking standards that require paving for lots serving 10 or more vehicles (citing local parking-lot standards) and reviewed a sketch showing existing paved areas and proposed stall counts.

The applicant requested permission to install two freestanding signs and said any lighting would be solar and coordinated with staff to avoid glare. The board reviewed the proposed sign size (about 7.5 by 8 feet) and noted it is under the local 60-square-foot limit in the sign ordinance.

After discussion, a member moved to approve the application "based upon the application and related documents and information provided by the applicant, the written and oral comments of the applicant, reviewing officials, and members of the public as reflected in the public record"; another member seconded, the board voted all in favor and the application was approved. The board’s written motion cited that the application satisfied the applicable standards of the Lisbon Land Use Ordinance.

The applicant confirmed he will pick up the signed permit from staff and return to seek additional approvals for future buildings as needed. Planning staff recommended the applicant provide a consolidated plan showing previously approved plans, the existing retail store footprint and the proposed food-truck area so reviewers can verify layout and dimensions.

The approval is subject to the conditions and materials already discussed in the record; the board did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript.