The Blue Spruce Farm subdivision off Spring Street is one step closer to construction after the 183-unit project was unanimously approved by the Westbrook Planning Board last week.
Scarborough-based Risbara Bros. Construction bought the 32-acre farm property in January 2014, and after acquiring 16 additional acres from an abutter, unveiled an expanded subdivision plan that included 50 homes, 98 market-rate, multi-family rental units in seven buildings, and 32 condominium units in eight buildings.
City Planner Molly Just has called the project the largest in Westbrook in at least 25 years. It is also Risbara’s largest project to date.
Risbara expects the build-out to occur over a three- to five-year period. A construction start date has not yet been announced.
At last week’s meeting, the project’s civil engineer, Nancy St. Clair, presented an overview of the development. Also included in the developer’s presentation to the board was a landscaping layout provided by a landscape architect, and the results of the project’s traffic study, given the impact created by such a large subdivision.
Bill Bray, a traffic engineer, said the study expects 100 morning trips and 130 evening trips, with the majority of drivers taking Spring Street to the County Road vicinity. The project will also include sidewalks for increased pedestrian traffic.
During public comment, a few neighbors of the project spoke up, including Daniel Chick, who lives behind the property on Maple Street. Chick said he’s concerned over the “enormity of the project,” and people coming into his property.
Tricia Spinney, living on Spring Street, said she’s mostly concerned for the project’s impact on the Westbrook school system, which is already seeing increased enrollments and less space in its buildings.
“I would hope the board would give that some serious consideration,” she said.
However, a study completed by Planning Decisions specific to the Blue Spruce Farm project predicts between 30-40 school-aged children would be added to the school district as a result of the subdivision.
Spinney said, “That seems like a small number.”
“I know that our schools are over capacity, to the point where we’re now putting kindergartners at the community center next year,” she said. “I’m concerned about how this will impact the schools.”
The immediate area will see additional development along with Blue Spruce Farm, especially on the opposite side of Spring Street, where the development will tie into Landing Road, which will eventually connect Avita of Stroudwater to a new assisted-living community and continue on to a new Animal Refuge League building.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
