BATH

After a lengthy review, a site plan approval request for a potential daycare on North Street has been tabled for two weeks by the Bath Planning Board Tuesday.

Applicant Danielle Green said she would be using an existing building on 57 North St., which has been used on and off as a church in past years, for a daycare center that could serve between 12-20 local children from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

Green plans on constructing a chain link fence on the east side of the building for a play area, away from Willow Street, and a pathway on the west side of the building for children and parents to walk safely to the building.

Green said she would only be using the first floor of the building, because sprinkling systems would need to be installed if she was to use the basement or the second floor of the building.

Planning and Development Director Andrew Deci confirmed that the building meets code requirements to serve the proposed amount of children, and that a daycare center is permissible in the R-1 zoning district.

However, not all community members were in support of the plan.

Attorney David King presented the concerns of local resident Mary Small and several other neighbors who were worried that the daycare would not be a “good fit” for the neighborhood, especially since the building had been used as a church for over 70 years.

In a letter addressed to the board, Small expressed her concern with the anticipation of increased noise level from children playing near the streets and more neighborhood traffic.

Since the structure will serve as a commercial building in a non-commercial zone, King presented a litany of code requirements that would need to be followed for the building’s nonresidential use.

“A church is the prior use. This is now going to become a daycare, and that is a different use than a church,” he said.

Deci clarified that changing the use of a building requires a site plan approval and should be reviewed according to applicable performance standards. However, he added that the board has allowed applicants to redevelop sites in the past.

Some other neighborhood concerns included the building’s limited parking space. Green said she will not be increasing the current seven parking spots at the former church building, and expects it will be enough for her staff.

Small expressed that illegal parking on North Street would become more frequent, especially with parents dropping off or picking up children, which may also obstruct the view of the street for other drivers.

Mercedes Haines of 61 North St. echoed similar thoughts and was concerned that daycare parkers would park in spots reserved for her tenants.

However, local neighbor Laura Creamer, a previous owner of a daycare center that housed 60 children on North Street, disagreed. She said she had little to no issue with street traffic when she owned her daycare.

“There’s no traffic all day long. There’s just a certain time of the day that there’s traffic, and never once did I ever have to have anyone park in the road,” she said.

Creamer also said that children would not be out playing on the streets since daycares are required by law to have a fenced in yard for children to play in.

Green added that the property provides ample buffering for neighbors with the presence trees and other landscaping.

Board members also expressed that Green’s proposed paved pathway to the building would need to be porous, and that other impervious surfaces would need to be limited or removed because of the current flooding issues on Willow Street.

Green was more than willing to accommodate any changes.

She emphasized the need for childcare centers in the area, as four out of six local daycares she spoke to were full, with at least 10-15 children placed on waiting lists.

“If this wasn’t my passion, I wouldn’t be doing this,” she said. “That’s all I’m here to do — is to have a business and help the town of Bath. I live here, I don’t want to hurt it.”

The board voted to revisit Green’s request on Aug. 18.

dkim@timesrecord.com