An emergency six-month halt to residential projects would need a unanimous vote from councilors.

A proposal to enact a moratorium on residential building permits has stalled at the Westbrook City Council.

More than 400 Westbrook residents signed a petition asking for a six-month stay on building permits for residential projects of more than 10 units, and more than 40 people packed Monday night’s City Council meeting to discuss the issue.

But the City Council voted 4-2 to table the matter because the moratorium draft is unfinished. The version brought to Monday night’s meeting contained several blank spots, in part because a lawyer hired by the city to review it has suggested the City Council needs to be more specific in order to meet the criteria for a moratorium under state law.

Amid a housing crunch in Greater Portland, developers are eying open land in Westbrook for new homes and apartment buildings. Between January 2015 and July of this year, the city issued building permits for 370 new housing units. At the same time, construction of large-scale subdivisions, such as Blue Spruce Farm on Spring Street, and other proposed projects have raised alarm for some residents.

A group of neighbors called Westbrook Forward is pushing to revamp the city’s land use ordinance, increase the minimum lot size for new homes and enact a process for collecting impact fees on new construction.

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“The idea of rapid growth in this community is a double-edged sword,” at-large Councilor John O’Hara said Monday night. “We’ve coveted it for years and years, and now we’re at a point where we’re pushing it away. That may be a sign of the times that it has come upon us a little too quickly for us to manage.”

Of the 21 people who spoke at the council meeting, nine were in favor of a moratorium. Including the writers of two letters submitted to the City Council, nine were opposed. Three asked questions or did not take a clear position on the issue.

Proponents say a moratorium would provide a much-needed pause for the city to review its policies and ordinances on housing development. Those supporters are generally homeowners and residents in Westbrook, and they are particularly concerned about the impact new residents could have on schools and sewers.

In addition to development under construction or review now, future projects could include new homes on the 52 acres of the former Twin Falls Golf Club near the Blue Spruce Farm subdivision.

“If they develop Twin Falls Golf Course and they put in a lot of housing, how is it going to impact the Canal School?” Middle Street resident Mike Ross said. “What we’re talking about now is just 180 days and trying to get a long-term vision for this city so that our kids will want to live here.”

Opponents say a moratorium would scare off builders and inadvertently hinder projects such as a Westbrook Housing Authority proposal for 52 affordable apartments for senior citizens. Most of the people who spoke against a moratorium work in real estate development or own businesses in Westbrook, and they are worried a stay on building permits would have a negative impact on the local economy.

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Tim Flaherty of the Flaherty Group said his firm hopes to build 13 single-family homes in Westbrook. If that effort is delayed by a moratorium, he said people would lose work.

“I’ve got to call the surveying engineer and just tell him to stop,” Flaherty said. “That’s not fair, I don’t think.”

Councilors could have enacted a moratorium on an emergency basis Monday, but that would have required a unanimous vote. A split council would prompt a second reading and an affirmative vote for the measure to pass. The City Council will likely discuss the proposal soon at a committee meeting, which would be open to the public.

Megan Doyle can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

mdoyle@pressherald.com

Twitter: megan_e_doyle


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