WESTBROOK – Westbrook resident Jason Snyder, the former owner of a 60-acre parcel between Stroudwater Street and Westbrook Arterial, is not giving up his fight to “do what’s best for Westbrook.”

In a move coming just weeks after the City Council approved a zone change that replaced his so-called Stroudwater Place contract zone with two separate 45- and 15-acre zones, Snyder collected the necessary 1,216 petition signatures in order to start a process to repeal the change.

Snyder’s petition forces the City Council to either approve the repeal of the new zoning or to allow voters to decide the issue in a spring election.

Snyder’s proposed Stroudwater Place contract zone, which has been in place since 2008, called for a major development on the land, including upscale retail stores, restaurants and public amenities such as a skating rink and farmers market. Snyder’s development failed to get off the ground in the years following the implementation of the contract zone, and after foreclosure last year, the land was sold back to mortgage lender Kimco Capital.

On Monday afternoon, Snyder and his brother, Simon, delivered the signatures to Westbrook City Clerk Lynda Adams, who is charged with verifying petition papers.

“It’s been an interesting 12 days,” a tanned Snyder said Monday while handing in the papers. “It looks like I went to Florida, but it’s actually from wind burn.”

Snyder said that he and his brother worked non-stop during a two-week period starting Feb. 25 to collect the necessary signatures, going door to door throughout the city in often frigid temperatures. Snyder also said the venture resulted in a few dog bites and a few falls.

He said they received about 130 more signatures than required, and achieved it in less than half the time (roughly 10 business days) allowed to gather petition signatures. Petition signatures must be collected in 30 business days. Tuesday evening, Adams confirmed that the Snyders had collected 1,341 signatures, with 1,232 being valid.

The City Council approved the zone change Feb. 10, requested by Portland developer J.B. Brown & Sons, after months of discussions. The new zoning labels 15 acres off Stroudwater Street for residential development, and 45 acres off Westbrook Arterial for commercial development.

Vincent Veroneau, president and CEO of J.B. Brown & Sons, has said the project could include about 18 housing lots with access off Stroudwater Street, with a variety of development taking shape off the arterial, which might include retail space, a small hotel, and a possible multi-family dwelling.

During past Planning Board and City Council discussions, Snyder called the J.B. Brown & Sons proposal “short-sighted.” In a last-minute attempt to rally residents to vote against the change in February, Snyder distributed flyers that read: “The current Stroudwater Contract Zone is of strategic importance to the health and strength of our great city. Let’s band together to defeat the current proposed zoning change. Westbrook deserves better, and we’ll get there together.”

Speaking during the Feb. 10 meeting, Snyder said that when he owned the land, he turned down offers from large stores such as Lowe’s and Walmart because that type of development was “not appropriate for the gateway to the city of Westbrook. It shouldn’t be built upon until the appropriate project comes along.”

Snyder said Wednesday that Stroudwater Place was designed as a place that was “community welcoming” and “pedestrian friendly.” Stemming from his father, who developed significant portions of Portland’s Old Port, Snyder believes “if something is done, it should be done to a very high level of architectural and building design.”

He called the zones approved last month “blanket zones” that “don’t provide for any high standards of design.”

Snyder has also shared numbers with the council and residents that compare the proposed Stroudwater Place development with J.B. Brown’s plan. According to Snyder, Stroudwater Place would have resulted in $1,904,000 in property tax revenue and 1,263 jobs, compared to $550,800 in property tax revenue and 300 jobs from the current proposal.

J.B. Brown & Sons’ agreement with Kimco to purchase the property was contingent on the zone-change taking place.

On Wednesday, Veroneau said Snyder’s petition is a “disappointment” but that he isn’t too concerned.

“I think the zone change was properly vetted by the two boards, the public, and the neighborhood meeting,” he said. “I would disagree with Mr. Snyder that the residents of Westbrook don’t like the zone change.”

Veroneau added that the company would not sell the land.

According to Veroneau, the Stroudwater Place contract zone isn’t economically viable, and according to recent studies, not environmentally feasible either, given the presence of wetlands.

Simon Snyder said that, generally, Westbrook residents were receptive to the explanation of the zone-change petition.

Jason Snyder, who still lives off Stroudwater Street on property that abuts the recently rezoned land, said a lot of residents took the time to look over the document detailing the zone change before signing the petition.

“Of the people I spoke to, well over 95 percent did not either like the zone change or weren’t aware of it,” he said. “That’s a strong number.”

Snyder said that the majority of residents he talked to fell into two groups – those who would like the land to remain farmland, and those who would be open to development.

Snyder said that if the parcel reverted back to the contract zone, and if Stroudwater Place doesn’t end up feasible, residents who’d like to see the land unchanged would be satisfied.

However, he said that if the contract zone is developed, Stroudwater Place calls for higher standards for the Westbrook community, including community gardens and other amenities.

Snyder added that while hoping for community support, he was surprised by the positive feedback he received while speaking with fellow residents.

“This was efficient, fast and, from a community support standpoint, far beyond our expectations,” he said. “I would’ve hoped for as much, but it was wonderful.”

Adams told the Snyders Monday that she was impressed with the quick turnaround, stating she knows how difficult it is to obtain more than 1,000 signatures in such a short period of time.

“When you care about something enough, you get it done,” Snyder said.

According to Adams, after verifying the signatures, the Westbrook Planning Board would schedule a public hearing on the repeal due to its possible effect on the city’s comprehensive plan and a state law that requires a public hearing for any zone change.

Adams said the Planning Board, which meets next on April 1, would most likely schedule the public hearing for May 6.

The final response to the petition rests with the City Council, which could either approve the repeal or allow voters to decide.

As part of the process, Adams said, a citizen-initiated referendum must go before the City Council three times. The first meeting, on April 7, would be to set the public hearing for later in April.

Adams said the final meeting would be May 5 and that the council would have two options.

“They can either approve what the petition is asking for, which would be to reverse the decision they just made by changing the zone, or they can send it out to vote for the citizens to decide,” said Adams.

If pushed to referendum, it would be held during the June 10 election.

Westbrook resident Jason Snyder hands in petition signatures to City Clerk Lynda Adams at City Hall on Monday in his effort to repeal a recent zone change on land between Stroudwater Street and Westbrook Arterial that he formerly owned.