AUBURN — The City Council will be asked Monday to approve putting up 11 city properties for sale, as Auburn hopes to encourage redevelopment on lots that have sat idle.
The meeting agenda shows 11 parcels, which if approved, would be put on the market by Bill Bergeron of Fontaine Family Realty.
Mayor Jason Levesque said Friday that selling the parcels is part of an effort to encourage redevelopment of the parcels, many of which have been unbuildable in recent years due to zoning rules. He said the city hopes to see them turned back into “homes or a corner store,” putting the properties back on the tax rolls.
He said some of the parcels were unbuildable before the city passed the new zoning types known as T-4.2 and T-4.2B, which allow greater flexibility for infill redevelopment. At least one of the parcels that could be sold was the site of a fire, but the previous zoning rules made redevelopment nonconforming.
Regarding the number of lots that could be on the market, Levesque said, “I can’t find another instance where a city divested in so much property at once.” But, he said, the city is “not here to make profit off land sales.” They want to see the properties turned into two-unit buildings, single-family homes or other uses that generate tax dollars.
In 2021, the city began shopping out larger city lots in the downtown, including 186 Main St., which will be the site of a new brewery and apartments.
“We’ve been talking about this, but it takes time and effort to get them on the market,” he said. “Now, it’s like open the floodgates, because now it’s possible.”
Most of the properties are less than an acre, but one plot, on Northern Avenue, is more than 9 acres. It’s in the multifamily suburban zone.
The council will also vote Monday on whether to accept a Chestnut Street parcel that is proposed to be demolished and used for additional parking at the future expanded PAL Center. City staff said the site will need environmental remediation.
Also on Monday, the council is slated to discuss proposed changes to the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport board, which have previously been tabled by both Auburn and Lewiston city councils.
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