Brunswick’s Zoning Board of Appeals is set to deliberate on a challenge filed against an affordable housing project that has sparked controversy.

The Zoning Board will decide Thursday whether the Planning Board erred in its approval of the Wilbur’s Woods affordable housing development. The project was approved in January through the streamlined development process, which is now under a 180-day moratorium. The decision will come two weeks after the Zoning Board reviewed arguments made by appellant Chris Teel as well as responses from the Planning Board and the project developer, GreenMars.

Teel, a Brunswick resident who does not live near the development site, listed 13 arguments in the appeal, including concerns of inadequate public notice, zoning issues and negative traffic impact. The appeal also noted that the development could attract low-income renters who would not be as interested in preserving the property as nearby homeowners.

For Teel, the end goal is to put a stop to the development, which plans to build 21 condo units and a three-story apartment building. However, Teel said that the project would be less contentious among residents if the developer nixed the apartments.

“The big rub — for the residents — is the apartment building,” he said.

Mike McNally, a resident near Wilbur’s Woods, said that the current site plan does not make sense for the residential neighborhood and that the apartment building was out of place.

“I feel like they’re trying to put too much on that lot,” McNally said.

Though he is not opposed to development on McKeen Street, McNally expressed concern that the current building plan would pose safety issues in the neighborhood. He said that he has observed traffic grow steadily on the road in recent years and that a dense development could increase danger for pedestrians.

To some, Wilbur’s Woods is part of the answer to the housing crisis that plagues this part of the Midcoast and Maine as a whole.

GreenMars Co-Founder Chris Marshall said Mainers must come together to address the housing crisis together.

“We need to do something. Affordable housing and workforce-priced housing is desperately needed, and yes, it can add density,” Marshall said. “But if no one wants it in their backyard, where will it go?”

In October, Maine State Housing Authority, Department of Economic and Community Development and the Governor’s Office for Policy Innovation and the Future released a study showing that the state will need to produce up to 84,300 homes to address housing needs by 2030.

This week, the Maine Senate unanimously supported an initial vote on a bill that would expand affordable housing options in Maine through the GOPIF.

“Access to affordable housing is critical to Maine’s economic future,” Sen. Mattie Daughtry said in a news release. “To put it simply, Maine needs to bring in and retain more workers, and those workers need a place to live.”

Though Teel acknowledges Maine’s call to build more affordable homes, he said that Brunswick has already done its fair share of development, further noting that the “fiber of the town” is changing rapidly.

“Am I opposed to development? No, I am not,” Teel said. “But it needs to be done in [moderation].”

The Wilbur’s Woods project, which plans to build houses at below-market rate pricing and an affordable 18-unit apartment building, is 60 days behind schedule because of the appeal. GreenMars previously stated that delays can run up costs, making affordable housing development more difficult to achieve.

The Zoning Board will hold its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday night in the council chambers. Though the town stated that it is possible the meeting will be canceled due to the nor’easter on Thursday, a decision will be finalized before April 21.

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