Lisbon Falls planning board approves lot merger at 2 and 4 Faith Street without public hearing

The Lisbon Falls Planning Board unanimously approved a subdivision amendment on July 9 to merge two adjacent lots at 2 and 4 Faith Street, granting the change without holding a public hearing.

Kristy Kane, who said she owns 4 Faith Street and the adjacent undeveloped lot, told the board the intent is only to “erase that invisible line between the 2 properties” and not to construct anything new. She said combining the lots would lower her property tax bill by about $800 a year: “We wanna do this because it'll save us $800 a year in taxes,” Kane said.

Staff described the proposal as a minor amendment to a previously approved subdivision and reviewed the applicable checklist items. Mark, the town’s code enforcement/department staff, told the board that staff found no anticipated changes to water supply, stormwater management, traffic, waste disposal or impacts to wetlands or flood zones given that no construction is proposed.

A board member moved to approve the application “based upon the application and the related documents and information provided by the applicant” and the board adopted the motion without requiring a public hearing. The motion was seconded and the chair recorded the vote as 5-0 in favor.

Why it matters: The board treated the lot merger as a minor amendment because it does not involve new construction or site alterations; the absence of a public hearing means the application advances to final administrative recording rather than undergoing extended public review.

Key details: The application was filed as Case 206-11 for Lots 088 and 085 in the Houston Park Subdivision (2 and 4 Faith Street, Lisbon Falls). The applicant cited an estimated annual tax savings of roughly $800; the figure was presented by the applicant and attributed to calculations she said were done by a third party listed in the record. The board’s approval was limited to the subdivision amendment as presented; no construction, permits, or changes to land use were approved as part of this action.

Next steps: The board’s approval concludes the planning board review of the minor amendment; any future construction or changes to the property would require separate review and permits.