SOUTH PORTLAND – M.J. Benson lives just down the street from Willard Square. It’s a little pocket of South Portland that she treasures for many reasons.

One is being just a stroll away from the delicious treats at Scratch Baking Company, a popular bakery that has brought new life to the largely dormant square since opening shop five years ago. But Benson also treasures the fact that when the bakery and other area businesses close for the day, the square is once again calm, like a neighborhood.

“It’s very quiet here, which is amazing considering the density,” Benson said. “At 8 or 9 o’clock you can hear people walking down the street and hear them talking.”

But as more businesses seek to open in Willard Square, she and other residents have become concerned that the neighborhood atmosphere of the square could be lost. Now, to ensure that doesn’t happen, Benson and her neighbors are getting involved as the city works on zoning changes that would allow for more commercial development in the square.

“I want to make sure that the square stays like a village and that the commercial interests respect that and work with that,” Benson said.

Charles A. “Tex” Haeuser, the city’s planning director, said that because of concerns raised by Benson and others, the city is reworking some of the proposed changes to the zoning of the square. Also under consideration are additional changes, such as design standards for new businesses in the square to make sure they conform visually to the rest of the village.

A public hearing on the changes before the Planning Board, which previously had been set for Tuesday, Oct. 27, has been postponed. Haeuser said he isn’t sure when it will be rescheduled.

“We don’t have a timetable,” he said of the plan to do further review of the proposed zoning changes. “We’re taking a step back and working on it more. It’s sort of changed.”

Willard Square is a wide, open space at the intersection of Pillsbury, Preble and Thompson streets. In the early 20th century, it was a bustling village center with an A & P supermarket and a drugstore. But in recent decades it had little commercial activity until the success of Scratch bakery started a resurgence of small businesses there.

Today, the bakery, an ice cream store and a photography studio are the square’s prominent businesses.

An update of the zoning of the square actually began three years ago, according to a recent memo Haeuser prepared for the Planning Board on the issue.

At that time, the board made changes in the zoning to accommodate a project proposed by the owners of a lot at the edge of the square, on Preble and Willow streets.

Lisa Foster and Mark Foley wanted to have a combination of commercial and retail spaces on their property, including artist studios. The zoning change from a limited business zone to a village commercial zone allowed for artist studios. Other changes in the new zone included reduced off-street parking requirements for businesses, increased residential density and some restrictions on the evening hours of operation for stores and restaurants.

Foster and Foley, who could not be reached for comment for this story, did not proceed with their project until last spring, according to Haeuser. At that time, he said they told the city they wanted to move forward with the artist center/artist studios.

However, he said, Foster asked for another zoning update because of an oversight in the 2006 change that didn’t grant artist studios the 50 percent reduction in off-street parking allowed other businesses.

In the course of considering that update, other proposed amendments to zoning for the square were added, Haeuser said.

He said some were proposed to accommodate developer Paul Leddy, owner of the Willard Scoops ice cream store in the square. Leddy, who could not be reached for comment, wants to create condominiums in a building at the corner of Preble and Pillsbury and would prefer to have six units instead of the four that are permitted under the zoning now.

Other proposed amendments included reducing setbacks from residential zones and changing the threshold that triggers when a project needs Planning Board approval from 1,000 square feet to 2,000 square feet.

Another proposal was to allow farmers markets in the square as a special exception use after a public hearing.

The city held a public forum on the proposals for Willard Square on Oct. 1. Haeuser said about 70 people attended and shared their views on the square.

“The basic theme,” he said, “was a concern about potential overdevelopment of the square.”

Benson, who wasn’t able to attend the meeting, said she sent the city an e-mail outlining her concerns.

One is safety, she said. Many children in the neighborhood walk to Small Elementary School, located on Thompson Street just off the square. She and other parents worry about their children crossing the square if traffic increases because of the arrival of more businesses.

Another issue is property values, Benson said. “I think if things are done incorrectly, we can create problems in the square (which could impact housing values),” she said.

Thirdly, she said, are “lifestyle issues.” Outdoor seating for restaurants and a lot of delivery trucks could have a negative impact on the peaceful neighborhood, she said.

A farmers market would also be a concern unless it could flourish on the sole support of neighborhood residents, she said. Otherwise, she said, it could draw a lot of visitors to the square and create more traffic problems.

“This is a really unique part of South Portland and I think the (City) Council and the Planning Board need to work really hard to have good checks and balances,” Benson said.

Haeuser said he and his staff plan to rework the amendments with assistance and feedback from residents and businesses. He’s encouraging both groups to talk to each other.

Among some ideas that are already being proposed, he said, are ways to address pedestrian safety at Willard Square.

Haeuser said the traffic problems already exist there because of vehicles coming to the busy Scratch bakery, and also because of an increased number of students driving to nearby Southern Maine Community College.

The city recently rebuilt the sidewalks at the square and moved the stop signs closer to the intersection to help with safety, he said. Further changes, such as speed bumps, more striping or school crossing guards, could also be necessary, he said.

Because of the wide-open nature of the square, he said, “there is a dangerous free-for-all that is still occurring there.”

Willard Square