Biddeford City Council voted unanimously on Nov. 6 to halt the permitting process for the proposed University of New England pier and consult the Maine Attorney General’s office.

The council passed a resolution to “withhold further permitting or authorization” related to the project, which has received backlash from community members over the past year.

At the heart of the debate is the location of the proposed pier, which would be located in the Saco River adjacent to the Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center on the UNE campus. The pier would be 80 feet long, and according to residents, would displace dozens of boats moored in the river.

Last month, Biddeford residents aired grievances about the project at a rarely invoked General Meeting of the Citizens.

Grievances included issues with the location, former city manager Jim Bennett’s decision to bar Biddeford Harbormaster Paul Lariviere from commenting or voting on the proposal, and a lack of communication between the city and its residents.

Shawn Tibbetts, a local commercial fisherman, was one of many residents to comment on the proposed pier.

“We left out the local knowledge in these decisions,” Tibbetts said last month. “No one reached out to anyone who knew anything about the river.”

The issue that arose early this month with the proposed project regards a potential conflict between the permit UNE needs from the Saco River Corridor Commission and an older permit for a vegetation buffer that UNE received from the commission in 2001.

According to city documents, the attorney general needs to clarify whether or not the 2001 permit is relevant to the proposal at hand.

The document reads, “pending clarification from the office of the attorney general, the city of Biddeford will withhold further permitting or authorization related to the proposed UNE pier to ensure full compliance with state law.”

“UNE does not oppose the council seeking clarity from the Maine Attorney General on this matter,” university spokesperson Sarah Delage said in an email. “However, it’s worth noting that the Saco River Corridor Commission already confirmed the validity of their permit after consulting with the AG’s office, because the Maine AG’s office serves as the SRCC’s legal counsel.”

“At this point, we are just waiting for the AG’s response to the council’s request and then we plan to proceed with the project as planned,” Delage added.

Attempts to reach Biddeford Mayor Martin Grohman and Mayor-elect Liam LaFountain for comment were unsuccessful.