SCARBOROUGH — A proposed amendment to the Growth Management Ordinance (GMO), preliminarily approved at a Sept. 21 meeting, was the topic of the Scarborough Town Council Sept. 28 workshop.

The GMO was created in 2001 to manage residential growth in Scarborough by limiting the number of construction permits awarded per year. The Downs, a 524-acre mixed-use community, which includes residential, commercial and industrial uses, located in the heart of Scarborough, has requested several exemptions since October 2021.

On Sept. 21, the Town Council gave preliminary approval to amend the GMO to allow more residential development at the Downs through 2025. If given final approval, the amendment would allow The Downs to build 289 units over the next three years, 160 more than they are currently allowed, according to a Sept. 23 story by The Forecaster. Downs developers had asked nearly a year ago for an increase in permits in the form of an exemption from the ordinance.

There was some concern as to whether an amendment was necessary rather than an exemption.

On Sept. 28, the council further discussed the issue to make sure the outcomes would be fair to the public as well as The Downs developers. Councilors discussed the need for the GMO to be revised to set a standard to prevent further issues.

“I really like (the idea of) trying to update the GMO to really reflect what the council finds to be important,” Councilor Jon Anderson said. “My concern about this is that, what’s to stop the next developer or the next person to come in, asking for more permits? Again, I just don’t want this council, or any council, to constantly be updating the GMO because I don’t think that provides the predictability we are trying to establish within the community.”

Support for a Downs exemption in addition to a GMO revision was voiced by some councilors.

“I do want to support this, because I feel this mechanism makes The Downs whole in what they’ve always been told they can do,” Councilor Ken Johnson said. “So I would support it but there’s a caveat there for me. I’m not going to support any other exemptions, any other exemptions, until the GMO is revisited and rewritten, gotten through the public process, and re-approved by this Town Council.”

Councilors discussed the need for a commitment to public benefit as well as revisions to the GMO. At the meeting Oct. 5, the council was to revisit the subjects of the exemption and the GMO amendment when it was to hold a public hearing and second reading.

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