Michelle Shields seeks approval to replace and expand Frrease Street home; neighbor raises right-of-way concerns

The Old Orchard Beach Planning Board reviewed a conditional-use application from Michelle Shields to remove an existing single-family dwelling on Frrease Street and build a new single-family dwelling that includes about a 30% increase in square footage.

Board members and staff said the submission included responses to shoreland-zone and conditional-use standards and calculations showing the expansion exceeds the 30% threshold that triggers additional review. The board listed preconditions the applicant must meet before the planning board will take a final vote, including submitting step and siding elevation plans and clarifying spacing so siding is continuous rather than intermittent.

During the discussion a nearby property owner flagged potential right-of-way and ownership questions, saying the adjacent building is under different ownership and that a right-of-way runs by the property and driveway. The board acknowledged uncertainty about who controls the right-of-way and did not take a final vote on the application during this session.

The meeting began with routine business: the board took up approval of prior minutes (November). The chair recorded the minutes approval as 3-0. The chair also remarked on what he described as unprofessional behavior by a citizen named in the record; immediately afterward a participant apologized aloud.

Quotes from the record include the applicant description read into the record: "Michelle Shields conditional use application for nonconforming structure in the shoreland zone to remove an existing single family dwelling and build a new single family dwelling including a 30% expansion on Frrease Street," and an on-record apology: "Hai, I'm so sorry," from the participant who spoke after the chair's remark.

No final action on Michelle Shields’s application was recorded at this meeting. The board instructed that the listed conditions be satisfied and left the application pending further clarification of spacing, siding details and the right-of-way/ownership questions.