Raymond board grants 3‑foot waiver and approves Chipman Farms expansion

The Raymond Planning Board voted June 10 to grant a 3‑foot buffer waiver for the Chipman Farms expansion and approved the project's site plan, after staff guided the board through the ordinance findings required to support a waiver.

Planning staff member Brett told the board that the town's ordinance (section 30‑8.3) requires the planning board to make five findings before granting a waiver: the need is based on unique site circumstances; the standard is not required for public health; the waiver would not be handled by the board of appeals; the waiver would not effectively amend the ordinance; and appropriate conditions would be applied. "If you guys were to make a decision this evening, you guys could go through each of these like A through E and make a finding that would be included in the findings of fact," Brett said.

Applicant Michael Meyer, representing Chipman Farms, was present; the board first voted to remove the application from the table. Board members discussed that the abutting property is owned by the applicant and that the proposed encroachment is a small portion of a planted landscape buffer. The board concluded the circumstances met the ordinance criteria and voted to grant the waiver. The fire department requested that its memo (filed as Memo 26002) be made a condition of approval; the board agreed to include that memo as a condition.

After the waiver vote the board moved to approve the Chipman Farms site plan. The chair noted that the town would issue a written notice of decision, and reminded applicants that appeals must be filed within 45 days. No tally of individual votes by name was read into the record at the meeting; the chair recorded two abstentions on an earlier procedural vote and recorded approval for the Chipman motions.

What happens next: The board's action establishes the formal findings and conditions that will be included in the written notice of decision. Parties wishing to appeal the board's decision were reminded of the 45‑day appeal window.