Rochester Planning Board — June 23, 2026

The Rochester Planning Board met on June 23, 2026, to address multiple public hearings, site plan modifications, and administrative matters. Several hearings were continued, including a definitive subdivision plan modification on Garish Road and Bishop Road continued to August 11, 2026, a municipal parking lot review at 1 Constitution Way continued to July 14, 2026, and a solar installation review for Site B at 0 High Street continued to July 14, 2026. For Site A at 0 High Street, proposed by High Street Solar 1 and 2, LLC, the board reviewed site plan details, granted multiple waivers regarding landscaping and access, accepted a timber valuation of $30,165, approved a $5,000 five-year stormwater maintenance bond, and officially closed the public hearing with conditions to be drafted for August.

The board also evaluated a requested site plan change by Steen Realty and Development Corp. for the senior campus project at Rochester Crossroads (22 Cranberry Highway). The applicant sought a determination to incorporate a ring road connecting to Route 58 and shift an access road off County Road. A motion to approve the changes as a minor modification contingent on peer review engineer Ken Motta's approval failed, leaving the matter for further review once formal comments are received.

Discussions continued regarding ongoing construction inspections and concerns over temporary occupancy permits issued by the building inspector without prior board sign-off. The board approved a project completion letter for a storage facility at 25 Cranberry Highway and voted to request a comprehensive list of all active commercial temporary occupancy permits from the building inspector. A representative from Highland Development at 667 County Road addressed recent repaving efforts and was directed to coordinate peer review inspections and as-built submissions. Administratively, the board approved a $30.76 escrow refund to Robert and Christine Murphy for Arrowhead Lane and reviewed ongoing road acceptance issues at Conant Woods regarding a fire protection pond.

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