I am a resident of the neighborhood that will be affected by the zoning change and would like to respond to Alwyn Waite’s letter to the editor. First, ordinance 505.11 is intended to protect residential neighborhoods all over Westbrook, not this single one. “Discrimination” is a very unpleasant word with connotations far and away from the intention of the ordinance as it was written. I think the word “protection” is a better choice. If some protections were not in place for residential areas, anyone in this city could find an all-night bar or strip joint next door or in their back yard. That is why we have rules and regulations for the use of property. Would you like to see an adult theater next door to a school? I don’t think so.

Ordinance 505.11 was diligently hammered out by the planning board over a period of several months. There was no interference from the public or any retail entity. They were responding to concerns that were brought up at a public meeting almost a year ago. There were real concerns about noise, traffic, lighting and hours of operation. The planning board was charged with addressing these items by the City Council. I attended all but one or two of those meetings and I feel the planning board has done an exceptional job. They treated both sides of the issue with the utmost importance and have produced a fair and equitable ordinance.

To address each point you brought up:

Emergency access will be available to fire and police vehicles from the Cottage Street entrance to the property in question. It will not be a drive thru for public use.

Traffic is another issue. There are numerous home day care establishments in the neighborhood. There are families with small children and kids all over on bicycles and skate boards. Forest street is already dangerous from “cut thru” drivers and the residents have been waiting for several years for some sort of traffic calming that was promised by the city. It’s practacally a given that there will be an increase in traffic on Forest, which will only add to the hazards for children.

Lighting is something to be considered because the property abuts residential neighborhoods on two sides. These are two-story homes with bedrooms upstairs. Unless the buffer is 20 feet high, the wrong type of lights will spill directly into homes. This brings up hours of operation and delivery times. Most people do not find the noise of refrigeration units and idling engines soothing in the middle of the night. Can you sleep with all your lights on? Should those unfortunate people living alongside the property be forced to live with this kind of disturbance? Large-scale retail does not belong in residential areas. If you look at the zoning map the bulk of the property in question pushes far into an area of private homes.

The costs you mention are part of the Gateway Commercial regulations that are already in place. Anyone building in the city or most of the state of Maine for that matter is subject to these costs of doing business.

This is Maine, the way life should be, or so they tell me. Let’s protect our residential neighborhoods and keep the noise and traffic controlled. Everyone has the right to a good night’s sleep in the sanctity of their own home.

Helen Black

Westbrook

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