A proposed referendum asking voters if they wanted to increase the size of buildings allowed in the Gateway district will not appear on the November ballot after the resident behind the referendum did not turn in the petitions.
Ray Richardson of Graham Road said he had collected more than the 1,300 signatures needed to put the question on the ballot. However, he said he decided not to submit the petitions to the City Clerkâs office. Richardson, who is also the chairman of the Westbrook Republican City Committee, refused to talk on the record about why he elected not to submit the signatures for verification.
The referendum was in direct response to a proposed plan to bring Wal-Mart to the city. Wal-Mart had proposed building a 203,000-square-foot Supercenter on the site of the former Saunders Brothers mill.
The Planning Board recommended to the City Council a series of restrictions to the City Council that included a 160,000-square-foot limitation on building size. As the council reviewed the restrictions, Wal-Mart indicated it would be willing to comply with them, if it were allowed to build a 180,000-square-foot store on the site. However, in a 5-2 vote, city councilors decided not to alter the 160,000-square-foot limitation the Planning Board had adopted.
Richardson registered a petition soon after the council vote seeking to place a question on the ballot asking voters if they want to increase the maximum footprint size of buildings in the Gateway district from 160,000 to 180,000 square feet.
While the question of the referendum has been settled, the future of the Wal-Mart proposal remains in question. Wal-Mart has not committed to building on the site. On Friday, Wal-Mart Community Affairs Manager Phil Serghini said the company was still considering its options and had not reached a decision whether to go ahead with the proposed Westbrook store at a reduced size.
Saunders Brothers President Josh Saunders said Friday he had not heard from Wal-Mart, and he was not sure what the company planned to do with the site.
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