GRAY – Facing public resistance, the Gray Town Council appears to have scaled back its vision for future commercial development along a busy stretch of Route 26.

Gray and the Maine Department of Transportation have jointly funded a $40,000 corridor study meant to explore future land use and transportation options for a 1.3-mile section of Route 26 from Hannaford to the intersection with North Raymond Road in the Dry Mills section of Gray. The study process began in November, and will likely conclude by June, according to Doug Webster, Gray’s town planner.

As part of the study, Webster has drawn up several development scenarios for future land-use changes along the corridor. At a Feb. 25 council workshop, residents fiercely objected to the development scenarios that converted sections of the Fairview Avenue neighborhood, located just north of Hannaford, into commercial zoning, and added new zones along the corridor that permitted industrial uses. On March 10, the Gray-New Gloucester Development Corp.’s Board of Directors published a letter to the council that objected to the development scenarios.

“We are not in favor of the extensive rezoning options that, in our opinion, would decimate the character of that portion of the town, and ultimately defeat the purpose of the Route 26 bypass as it pertains to moving traffic efficiently through town,” the directors wrote. “The overwhelming majority of attendees at the corridor study forum held on Feb. 25 reflected the GNGDC opinion on the issue, and it is the hope of the corporation that the Gray Town Council will take great heed of the public sentiment as it moves forward.”

In response to the outcry, Webster drew up a new development plan, entitled Scenario No. 4, that preserves the residential zoning in the Fairview neighborhood, does not include new industrial uses, and proposes relatively modest commercial zones, compared to the earlier scenarios.

At the March 31 workshop, Councilor Matt Doughty described the new scenario as a “step in the right direction.”

“It definitely serves the public interest a lot better than some of the conceptual designs we were throwing out there previously,” Doughty said. “I still believe that real economic development and relief is going to be focusing on some of the existing commercial zones that we have and trying to build out some of the areas that we already have that could use more attention.”

“I was a big fan of the corridor study when it was first coming around, because of opportunities at the time, and the concept of capturing some of that traffic moving northbound,” Doughty added. “Since then, especially since the workshop, I’ve changed my position on this pretty drastically.”

Council Chairman Matt Sturgis said that he approved of Webster’s new, “scaled back” design.

“Look at the Fairview Avenue neighborhood,” Sturgis said. “To think that we would, and there are so many homes there now, just do a strip and just call it all commercial and think it’s going to work, it totally takes the residential feel for granted and kind of throws that aside. Whereas, it’s one of the most successful residential neighborhoods we have.”

“Lets face it,” Sturgis added. “Gray’s not a commercial town. It’s a residential town.”

In response to the concerns expressed at the Feb. 25 meeting, Councilor Lew Mancini assured the public that “nobody’s going to force anybody to sell their property.” The point of the development scenarios was to explore ways the town could increase the tax base, he said.

Despite the controversy over the development scenarios, Doughty said that the town should continue to forge ahead with the study.

“I don’t think we should scuttle the whole thing,” he said. “I think it’s a good discussion to have. I think we’ve made some really good points, especially about controlling the amount of development that we see out there. I don’t think anybody wants this to become a North Windham, although North Windham is pretty convenient where I live.”