WESTBROOK – A rezoning plan for land between Stroudwater Street and Westbrook Arterial moved one step closer to approval Monday, but not without city councilors discussing their concerns.
Westbrook city councilors voted 6-1 in favor of sending the rezone request to a second reading and public hearing on Feb. 10.
Approval of the rezone would result in the purchase of the parcel by J.B. Brown & Sons, a Portland-based developer. The plan calls for rezoning the property into a roughly 45-acre zone for potential commercial development, and a 15-acre zone for possible residential development.
Vincent Veroneau, president and CEO of J.B. Brown & Sons, first presented his company’s proposal to the Planning Board last month, and continued the discussion on Monday. A preliminary plan would see roughly 18 housing lots stemming from Stroudwater Street, with a variety of development taking shape off the arterial, which might include retail space, a small hotel, and a possible multi-family dwelling, which could be allowed under rezoning.
The roughly 60-acre parcel has yet to be changed from a contract zone known as “Stroudwater Place,” an ambitious, 1.6 million square-foot project proposed by former landowner Jason Snyder in 2008. Following foreclosure last year, the land was sold back to mortgage lender Kimco Capital.
Councilor Paul Emery, who supplied the lone vote to deny Monday, is wary of the plan and possibly working too quickly to approve it.
“Is this the best that can be done with this property?” he said. “Once you build the houses, you can’t undo it.”
Emery also said there could be other offers in the works if the city is willing to be patient.
“This is what (J.B. Brown) is offering,” he said. “What can someone else offer us?”
As part of J.B. Brown’s contract with Kimco, the rezoning must be completed by the end of February. Emery said Monday that there are “things called extensions,” if the council decided to delay their decision.
During a neighborhood meeting hosted by Veroneau and city officials in early January, concerns from neighboring Stroudwater residents were mostly for traffic impact and the size and scope of potential residential development.
However, Veroneau said Monday that he’s “not interested” in developing road access between the residential and commercial portions of development, and could see a vegetative buffer between the properties in the form of a trail system, which could potentially connect to outlying trails.
While councilors voiced support for the trail buffer zone, they shared common concerns focused on ensuring that possible housing lots fit in with the surrounding neighborhood, and the potential that the land could eventually be the sight of further development.
Council President Brendan Rielly said Monday that the requested “Residential Growth Area 2” zone allows for uses other than single-family homes, and is concerned for the possibility of future development of more clustered, dense housing.
Rielly also echoed statements from fellow councilors about the prospect of using some or all of the 15 residential acres for the building trades program of the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center, given its proximity to the high school and need for future space.
“Why not convey that entire residential portion to the city?” he said. “It would put the building trades program in an optimal location.”
City Administrator Jerre Bryant said that in preliminary talks with Veroneau, “he is certainly interested in making those properties available, at a price,” Bryant said. “It’s something we’re exploring, but we don’t have any definitive answers right now.”
Veroneau said that funds from the sale of lots on the residential side would go toward financing the commercial projects.
Councilor John O’Hara, who served on the council during the Stroudwater Place proposal, asked what the city would receive in public amenities in return for the development, citing the past development’s offer of a public skating rink and farmers market.
“The past zone change was to give us something for its residents and visitors, and now we have a proposal where we’ll basically get nothing,” he said. “It doesn’t sit too well with me, and I don’t think it should with the residents of this community either.”
Veroneau said that given today’s market, coupled with new civil engineering studies that show more than 15 acres of wetlands across the property, the prior development proposal is not feasible.
“Environmentally, it’s not possible,” he said, adding that the prior plan would have offered the amenities only after a significant amount of land (800,000 square feet) was developed.
“I’ll be lucky to get to 400,000 square feet,” he said. “What I do offer with the zone change is to actually bring some taxable dollars to the city.”
A CLOSER LOOK
The Westbrook City Council will hold a second and final reading and public hearing on the proposed zone change for land on Stroudwater Street, Monday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m., at Room 114 at Westbrook High School and make a final decision on whether to approve the zone change.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
