Devine Capital LLC has receive preliminary approval to build 216 apartments in nine buildings on Alfred Road at the intersection with Andrews Road in Biddeford. Owner Ben Devine hopes to break ground in the spring. Courtesy image
BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford Planning Board gave a preliminary nod to two development proposals on Dec 7 that would bring 411 new housing units to the city.
A 195-unit manufactured housing community proposed for South Street near Waterworks Drive called Hidden Hills, designed for those 55 and older, would be built over eight years, applicant Matthew Chamberlain of South Street Village LLC told the planning board, with 25 units planned annually.
A plan by Devine Capital LLC for 216 market rate units in nine buildings at 588 and 590 Alfred Road (Route 111) at the intersection with Andrews Road was first introduced to the city council in a February workshop. It would require a contract zone because the property is in the B2 highway business zone. The proposal had gained preliminary approval by the planning board in October but was back for approval for a reconfigured design, due to a Maine Turnpike Authority plan that directs southbound traffic heading west on Exit 32 to a connector road that terminates on Route 111. The proposed MTA connector to Route 111, scheduled to be built in 2028, crosses through the property. Applicant Ben Devine said the new development design relocates the buildings out of the proposed Maine Turnpike Authority right-of-way location.
The Route 111/Andrews Road proposal calls for a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, with half of them — 108, designed as two-bedroom units. The project consists of nine residential buildings, six garage structures, a maintenance building, clubhouse, pool, dog park, and community garden on 44 acres.
The design changes include 474 parking spaces, originally proposed to be 497. The clubhouse has been moved, and there is better access to the apartment buildings for fire apparatus in the event of an emergency, Devine said. The lighted trail to Route 111 is a bit shorter than originally proposed.
“It’s a good plan,” Devine told the planning board. “A more concise layout.”
He also said it has become more expensive. “We desperately want to get onto the ground in April,” he said, and hopes to be on the board’s January agenda for final approvals.
The vote to approve the preliminary plan, conditioned on the board receiving a draft contract zone agreement and legal review, was unanimous.
A 195-unit, 55 and older age restricted manufactured housing development on South Street in Biddeford has received preliminary approval by the planning board. Courtesy image
Biddeford’s Interim City Planner David Galbraith said the plan for Hidden Hills has also undergone some changes – like moving access points to Waterworks Drive, which is owned by the applicant, rather than South Street.
Galbraith said the applicant is open to suggestions and direction.
He said there has been conversation about making Waterworks Drive a city street.
The city has explored the feasibility of a connector that could run from that area to Exit 32 and beyond — but that is a concept at this stage with no certainty as to outcome, said Biddeford Planning and Development Director Greg Mitchell.
The property at 413 South St., is in the rural farm and suburban residential zones, with a manufactured home overlay. The proposal under review constitutes 312 acres of the 330-acre parcel, all of which is owned by the applicant.
There was discussion about whether the applicant should be required to conduct a further traffic study to include other streets, including heavily traveled May Street, but a motion that included the provision failed.
There was also discussion of the merits of a sidewalk on South Street or a walking path. Public Works Director Jeff Demers told the Planning Board that a raised sidewalk stretching 1,865 feet would not be shared with bicycles and may not be plowed in the winter as the city’s sidewalk plowing priorities are hospitals, schools, and shopping districts. He said a walking path flush to the ground would be able to be kept open for the winter months.
In the end, the board voted 3- 1, with member Michael Cantara dissenting, to approve the preliminary subdivision and site plan with the condition a third- party wildlife study concerning threatened and endangered animals, birds, insects, and plants be conducted, to be paid by the applicant.
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