A sandpit and housing development have been proposed for the site of Bennett Farm in Gorham. Robert Lowell / American Journal
A Westbrook developer has plans for a 33-acre sandpit and a 14-home subdivision on the site of a former dairy farm on historic property in Gorham.
Les Wilson & Sons Inc. of Westbrook is scheduled to present plans for the 61-acre parcel at 463 Fort Hill Road and Mighty Street to the Gorham Planning Board on Monday.
Pamela Bennett Living Trust owns the property. Merritt Bennett of Baldwin said his mother wants to retire and the property is too much for her to maintain. Sale of the property is pending, he said.
Chris Wilson of Wilson & Sons could not be reached for comment before the American Journal’s deadline Wednesday.
The site is in the rural zone and mineral extraction is allowed in the area. The property includes a colonial home dating back to 1769 and several red barns that sit on a hillside well back from Fort Hill Road (Route 114). Hay has continued to be harvested at the property in recent years and fields have appeared groomed.
The property once belonged to Samuel Phinney, a descendent of the town’s first settler. It’s unclear what would happen to the farmhouse and barns under the development proposal.
Bruce Roullard, chairman of Gorham Historic Preservation Commission, said Wednesday the house is not under the jurisdiction of the town’s historic ordinance.
Acting Public Works Director Terry Deering proposed in Planning Department comments that 2,600 feet of Mighty Street should be rebuilt in conjunction with the proposed project.
“This section of road will not hold up to construction traffic,” Deering wrote.
The proposed development is scheduled for a pre-application discussion with the Planning Board at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14, at Gorham Municipal Center, 75 South St. The meeting was rescheduled after being postponed because of the weather on Feb. 7. Dustin Roma of DM Roma Consulting Engineers represents Wilson & Sons.
As only a pre-application discussion, the town has not sent notices to abutters as yet, the town’s Planning Director Carol Eyerman said Tuesday.
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