The owners of the long vacant former Jagger Mill in Sanford are looking for a zoning change to aid them in redeveloping the property. At the same time, the city is considering declaring the structure a dangerous building in a bid to have it secured and meet standards. TAMMY WELLS/Journal Tribune
SANFORD — The owner of a dilapidated, long vacant former textile mill building on Jagger Mill Road is looking for a zone change to facilitate redevelopment. At the same time, in separate action, the city is looking to have the structure deemed a dangerous building and have violations corrected.
The city is poised to discuss the dangerous building option on Aug. 21. Community Development Director Ian Houseal on Wednesday said the former Jagger Mill building at 199 Jagger Mill Road “is clearly not being taken care of.”
He said the roof of the tower is “pretty much missing,” windows are boarded up or broken, and there are abandoned vehicles — including a tractor trailer, parked outside.
Brenda Scally, who identified herself as the owner of the building, told the City Council on Tuesday that a lot of behind the scenes work had been done on the property.
Scally is looking for a zone change from Residential Development to the Urban zone. She told the council she would like to develop the 33,000 square foot building for mixed use — commercial, retail and residential. The City Council held a first reading on Tuesday and will conduct a second reading and vote on Aug. 21.
“We’d like to take advantage of the traffic,” she said, noting the popularity of the road that connects Route 4 with Route 109 in south Sanford.
Planning Director Beth Della Valle told the City Council that the Planning Board had unanimously voted in favor of the zone charge in July following a hearing. Two abutters expressed concern about the condition of the property, including blocked access to an apparent right-of-way, ongoing trash dumping and fire safety as well as questions about possible redevelopment, Della Valle said in a memo to the council.
She said re-zoning is likely to make the old building, constructed around 1905, more marketable for development.
Scally said she is looking at “micro” housing — which she defined as studio apartments and one bedroom units.
Mayor Tom Cote asked Scally if she were aware that the city has a vacant building ordinance.
She said she wasn’t.
Houseal on Wednesday said mail sent to the address on file notifying the owners they hadn’t registered the property as a vacant building had been returned.
The building served as the manufacturing facility for Jagger Bros. yarn mill from the early 1900s to the mid-1950s, when the company moved to Springvale. It was owned by York County Shelter Programs for several years and was sold to Jagger Mill LLC in 2008 for $80,000, according to city property records. It is assessed at $149,800.
Houseal said if the building is deemed dangerous and a nuisance, the city could order the owners to secure it. If that doesn’t happen, the city can step in and do so.
Another property the city will consider under the dangerous building ordinance on Aug. 21 is the former Gendron Lumber property on Lebanon Street that has been vacant for many years.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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