AUBURN — The Planning Board approved the future home of Auburn Suburban Baseball and Softball this week, putting the multi-field complex at Hotel and Stevens Mill roads on track to be completed within the next 18 months.
The unanimous decision from the board came after a few years of planning from the Little League organization, which will vacate its facility off Garfield Road that features land owned by the Maine National Guard.
The new facility will consist of two Little League fields and one Babe Ruth-size baseball field, as well as a practice field with batting cages. It also includes three proposed parking areas, a concession building with bathroom facilities and a maintenance and storage garage.
Most of the questions from board members Tuesday centered on traffic concerns. According to staff, the traffic movement permit for the project stipulates that only two fields can host games at one time in order to limit parking congestion. No parking will be allowed along Stevens Mill Road, staff said.
John Blais, deputy director of Planning and Permitting, said traffic is the “biggest piece” of the project, with between 100-200 trips generated. He said a “stop bar” will be added at the intersection of Stevens Mill and Hotel Road.
Board member Tim DeRoche questioned whether other speed deterrents could be added, but Blais said that would require an additional traffic study.
“I’d hate to think of families or players falling victim to excessive speed,” he said. “My entire concern is the safety of the kids.”
According to a city memo, road frontage for the site is on the southern side of Stevens Mill Road, some 400 feet from Sprucewood Road. In total, the project proposes 173 on-site parking spaces.
Board Chairwoman Stacey LeBlanc said she believes the new facility will have a better traffic pattern than the one at its current facility.
Tim Simpson, an abutting property owner, spoke during the public hearing. He said he’s glad that his new neighbor will be ball fields, but said he’s concerned about noise and light pollution. He also questioned whether pesticides or fertilizer would be used on the fields given their proximity to wetlands.
Recent studies for the project have shown that about 17 acres of the 30-acre site are developable.
City staff said the zoning in the area carries a noise ordinance between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. There may be times when cheering could exceed the noise ordinance, Blais said.
Staff said the 18-month timeline for construction should be manageable because the bulk of the work is being done by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of a training program.
According to a memo, the scope of work needed for the facility includes clearing trees and construction of a gravel access road. The work also includes installation of stormwater management, the final plans for which will be submitted once the league has determined its field surface material — natural or artificial turf. That decision will come down to fundraising, the memo said.
Auburn Suburban Baseball & Softball is a nonprofit youth sports organization that has roughly 500 youth ranging in age from 4 to 16 years playing on nearly 50 teams. It supports its own regular season, in-house playoffs for several leagues and participation in regional and state all-star tournaments.
CENTER STREET APARTMENTS
The Planning Board on Tuesday also approved a new, 21-unit apartment complex on Center Street, which will replace a building that was razed after a fire last year.
The apartments at 405 Center St. will be built in two, three-story buildings, and feature two-bedroom units. Staff said the former apartment and commercial building sustained fire and water damage and was demolished by the property owner, Jim Wu, last month.
The redevelopment will have 33 parking spaces and will utilize existing public utilities.
Board member Evan Cyr said the proposal was a “really great repurposing of the property.”
The board voted unanimously in favor.
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