GORHAM — Amazon has revised some aspects of its controversial plan to build a warehouse and distribution facility near the town center, but residents at a public hearing Monday remained critical and skeptical of the company’s proposal.

The online megaretailer has pitched a variety of changes to address concerns about traffic, noise, lighting, pollution and other environmental impacts on nearby residents. Trees would be added to the van parking area, light poles lowered from 20 to 15 feet and fencing height increased from 6 to 10 feet, to name a few.

Opponents said the changes weren’t enough, especially because the state departments of transportation and environmental protection haven’t concluded their reviews of the project and have asked for additional data.

“These small mitigations are not adequate,” said Josh Trombley, a leader of a group fighting the proposal. “I encourage you to deny this application.”

Amazon submitted a site plan in March to build a 146,280-square-foot warehouse on 94 acres off Main Street (Route 25) that the company has agreed to buy from the town for $4 million.

Board members asked a variety of questions following the hearing and planned to resume deliberations on Amazon’s proposal at a workshop Aug. 3.

ORGANIZED OPPOSITION GROWS

The vast majority of about 40 speakers opposed the project. Two residents spoke in favor of the proposal — one who said it would benefit the commercial tax base, local economy and job market, and one who thanked Amazon for making changes in its initial plan.

Monday’s meeting followed an initial public hearing in May, when most speakers pointed out the project’s potential harm to the environment and overall quality of life in town. The board at that meeting unanimously approved waivers to allow three driveways and overhead utilities.

A citizens group, Gorham United, has organized an online petition and launched a GoFundMe campaign to hire a lawyer and fight Amazon’s proposal. So far, 1,028 people have signed, including residents of Westbrook and other neighboring towns, and 79 people have donated nearly $13,000 toward a $30,000 goal.

The group has identified “significant issues” in the company’s applications to the town, state agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Trombley said.

The group is holding “A Day on the Land: Stop Amazon in Gorham,” on Aug. 8, from 1-4 p.m. at the proposed site on Route 25, across from Dolloff Road. It will include a rally at 1:30 p.m., nature walks, sharing information with neighbors and free ice cream.

Chris Taylor of Sebago Technics, a South Portland firm working with project developer Bluewater Property Group, outlined changes Monday that would further minimize sound, light and other impacts of facility. He said the 558-space van parking area would be reconfigured to make it smaller, but he didn’t say how many spaces would be eliminated.

Taylor also provided the first details of the wider traffic impacts of the facility, which would generate over 3,000 vehicle arrivals and departures daily. While it’s described as an around-the-clock operation, there would be periods of lower activity, he said.

Delivery vans would be dispatched in “wave shifts” leaving from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and returning from 8-10 p.m. Associate shift changes would occur at 3:30-4 a.m., 9-9:30 a.m. and noon-12:30 p.m. Tractor trailer deliveries would occur around the clock, with a concentration from 4-7 a.m.

Community and board members noted the 9 a.m. shift change would conflict with arrival times at town schools.

AMAZON’S LARGER PLAN

In a letter to the planning board last week, Amazon’s attorney at Drummond Woodsum in Portland said the company has submitted a variety of plans, reports and other materials that “are intended to provide a complete record” for the board to decide on the project based on the town’s site plan review ordinance.

“The applicant remains committed to working cooperatively with the town and its consultants throughout this process, and to addressing comments in a manner that supports the board’s deliberations,” attorney Stacey Caulk wrote.

The proposed distribution center is part of a $4 billion initiative Amazon unveiled last year to grow its rural delivery network across the U.S. and provide faster service to less densely populated areas, an Amazon spokesperson said. Known as a “last mile” delivery station, it’s intended to coordinate the final stretch of service to small towns.

Elsewhere in Maine, Amazon opened a 15,000-square-foot delivery station in Caribou last August. Developers announced plans in March to build a 159,000-square-foot distribution center in Waterville and Sidney, and have started building a 60,000-square-foot Amazon facility in Hermon, near Bangor.

The warehouse in Gorham would employ up to 170 full- and part-time workers, with full-time positions earning an average hourly wage nearly triple the federal minimum (of $7.25 per hour), plus benefits, according to Amazon’s website.

In southern Maine, Amazon packages are currently stored and delivered by third parties, including the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS. Amazon orders in Maine are delivered from fulfillment centers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, a spokesperson said.