Lee Planning Board votes to hold developer permits at Threshwood

Planning Board · Meeting of July 30, 2026

Lee Planning Board votes to freeze developer permits at troubled Threshwood subdivision. Trustees Stanley Brown and Sharon Shalhoub told the board that developer David Margulies is racing to sell his last lot before September 1, leaving new owner Mark Russo, who they say "does not have any pockets," to finish an open excavation pit, dumping and unfinished roads. Shalhoub said a contractor quoted $15,000 to fix a mislaid driveway but only "under $3,000" to repair the entire road.

The board voted unanimously to recommend the building department hold all developer-held permits, including certificates of occupancy, until the issues are corrected. Members separately opened a broad economic-development zoning discussion, debating whether to raise a 45-room hotel cap that board member Jonathan said he wrote to keep out chain hotels, and heard resident Michelle LeBare warn that "elevated levels of solvent chemicals" found at the vacant Rising Paper Mill, linked to cancer, should be addressed before new development moves forward.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,881 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of July 30, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.