A concept design for the town center at The Downs in Scarborough. Contributed / CUBE 3
The Downs’ request for a limited exemption from the town’s building permit cap “will make Scarborough a better place,” according to a town consultant.
With some conditions placed on it, approving the exemption from the town’s growth management ordinance will benefit the town and poses few financial risks, said Jeff Levine, owner and principal of Levine Planning Strategies and the city of Portland’s former director of planning and urban development.
Without the exemption, the area planned for the town center “could become a single-family housing subdivision,” Levine said.
“I think, from a planning perspective, generally, what’s proposed is more exciting and more interesting and will make Scarborough a better place,” he said.
The Downs, the large mixed-use project underway at the 525-acre site of the former harness racing track, applied last month for an exemption from the town’s growth management ordinance. The exemption would apply to the 90-acre town center portion of the project, allowing the developers to build more than the 43 units per year they are allowed under the ordinance. Developers say the additional units are needed to make the town center more vibrant, with an ample number of residents within walking distance.
The council’s concern about the exemption has been largely based on a lack of specifics, such as how many residences the developers plan to build in the town center and the impact they would have on Scarborough schools.
“There’s 31 trailers in our schools today, so our infrastructure is really poor,” Councilor Jon Anderson said, referring to the use of modular, temporary classroom buildings. “This would be mostly kids going to, depending on if they’re younger in age, Eight Corners, which is the worst of all the schools right now that need work. … I still don’t think we have a really good school absorption plan.”
Levine’s report said the school impact warrants further analysis because he thinks an assessment by The Downs is too low. Developers estimated in October that there will be 0.042 school-aged children per 2-bedroom rental and condominium units. Levine said that estimate is likely based on “the initial occupants’ stage of life,” such as people who aren’t yet parents but will have children in the future. He estimates instead the number will be about 0.12 and 0.38 school-aged children per two-bedroom unit.
“If you were to grant an exemption,” Levine said. “It seems like there could be some conditions that would be appropriate,” Levine said.
He provided a list of recommended conditions, including a cap on the number of units to be exempt and that developers provide a concept plan and “maximize the public benefits provided by the project.”
He said he had also reviewed an August memo from The Downs’ development’s consultant, Camoin Associates, that said the district will need “about 1,000 residential units” within a 5-minute walk of the town center in order to support retailers. That’s a valid point, he said, but even more nearby units may be needed to make the town center successful.
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