A 40-year friendship is paving a way for a Farnham Point Road real estate deal. Andre and Patricia Arrouet of Melbourne, Florida bought property on a Farnham Point Road subdivision in 1982. In 2000, the couple built a summer home. In the ensuing years, the Arrouets developed a four decade-long friendship with their neighbors. So when the Arrouets asked the Russells to swap a small land parcel for facilitating a real estate deal,  the good neighbors agreed. And on Feb. 19, the Boothbay Planning Board voted 5-0 to approve two 231-square foot land swaps. 

Local relator Jonathan Tindal represented the Arrouets during the planning board meeting. He explained after, the Arrouets entered into a contract with a prospective buyer. Afterwards, an inspection found a couple of problems with their property at 229 Farnham Point Road. One problem had an easy fix. Landowners fixed a gravel encroachment on the property’s northern side. But rectifying two other problems needed planning board approval. A land surveyor discovered a set of stone steps on the Arrouets’ northern boundary had encroached onto their neighbor’s property. Another encroachment was found on the property’s eastern side. The Arrouets’ house had encroached slightly into their neighbor’s property. 

“The encroachment was of the slightest measure,” Tindal said. “These are neighbors of 40 years who are friends and get along so this is a simple fix of a land swap.” The fix was a swapping two small sections of land which rectified both encroachments.

In other action, the board heard a pre-application proposal from Lester Spears about replacing his parking lot for his snack business at 798 Wiscasset Road. Spears is considering installing a more environmentally friendly porous paved parking lot similar to the ones at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. 

In 2019, the Cameron Clan Snack Co. received approval to demolish the former Pinkham’s Seafood Market and build a new one. The application also called for building a new parking lot, installing  underground power and a roadside mediFan. Spears told planning board members he was inspired by CMBG’s presentation during the Feb. 12 selectmen’s meeting detailing CMBG’s stormwater management and new monitoring system. “Adams Pond is directly behind our business and protecting the watershed is the environmentally friendly thing to do,” he said. 

Spears asked how a porous parking lot would impact his application approved last year. Planning board members explained his new parking lot must abide by all setback and ordinances for non-conforming structures and properties.

The board meets next at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 18 in the municipal building’s conference room.