LEWISTON — The City Council will reconsider a zone change request Tuesday that could lead to a senior housing development on Webster Street.
During previous meetings, councilors were split on whether to allow the project to move forward in the residential neighborhood, after a number of local residents spoke out against it.
However, the developer, Louis Ouellette, has since amended his plan to limit the housing to residents 55 and older.
The proposed change, which was first brought to the city in August 2016, would shift 209 Webster St. from the neighborhood conservation “A” zone to office residential to allow for the development of a multi-family senior housing project.
It would also include development of 151 and 153 East Ave., which are in the office residential zone.
City planning staff have said the maximum allowable development on the lot would be 37 units, and three stories, but the presence of wetlands could affect the amount of developable land.
In January, residents spoke at length about their attachment to the tranquility of the neighborhood. Many said they had lived there for decades, and that it was a tight-knit residential area of single-family homes.
Others said that regardless of any further restrictions placed on the project, they wouldn’t be happy. Supporters, including some councilors, argued that affordable senior housing was needed in Lewiston.
As the process has dragged on, Ouellette’s relationship with the city has also become strained.
Councilor Tim Lajoie, who voted against the measure in January, recently asked to delay the vote because he won’t be able to attend the first reading on the zone change on July 18.
While the vote is scheduled to remain, City Administrator Ed Barrett said the council could vote to table the item due to Lajoie’s request.
In a string of emails between city officials, Ouellette argued against slowing the process, even saying the city is creating an anti-business-friendly atmosphere.
“Businesses have been leaving Lewiston, many believing that this city is unfriendly to business entities,” he said in the email. “I believe that the senior facility proposed by me brings needed revenue and keeps people within its borders. When we alienate business, we ultimately alienate families and individuals, who in turn leave the area for better opportunity.”
In response, Lajoie said he did not ask for the meeting to be canceled, rather he asked to table the item because it has become highly debated, and deserves a full council.
“The people affected by this project deserve a full hearing before the full council,” he said. “The direction the City Council takes on this issue will affect every ward and have long-term effects on the balance between the city’s development plans and private property rights.”
City Administrator Ed Barrett reminded the council that a zoning amendment requires first and second passage. If it survives first reading on July 18, he said, it would come back to the council for a final reading on Aug. 15.
“This would allow you to participate in the final approval at the August meeting, if it gets that far,” he told Lajoie.
The Planning Board voted unanimously in late 2016 to send the proposed zone change to the City Council. After a first reading failed 4-3, a second reading in January successfully referred the zone change back to the Planning Board to consider further restrictions.
At the time, Planning Board Chairman Bruce Damon told the council that a negative vote “would send a message to the board that you don’t value our judgment.”
The City Council will take up the issue at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, at City Hall.
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