Brunswick council hears contract zoning pitch for 53 Main project

The Town Council held a workshop on contract zoning and heard a presentation from the developer of the proposed 53 Main project, which seeks a contract zone to reduce required parking from 87 spaces to 41. The Planning Board is set to hold a public hearing on the request the following night and will send an advisory recommendation back to the council.

Key points

• Planning and Development Director Erdmann explained that contract zoning under Section 5.13 of the zoning ordinance allows the council to impose conditions by agreement with a property owner, and that Brunswick has never approved a contract zoning application.
• Developer representative Ryan Barnes said the project at the former J&J Cleaners site would include about 9,900 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 34 residential units on three floors, with parking underneath.
• Barnes said the project cannot meet the ordinance's parking requirement of 87 spaces and is asking for a reduction to 41 ground-level spaces, with the ability to expand to 74 residential spaces using lifts.
• Councilor Record said she supports the project but wants the developer to maximize underground parking for residents, and questioned the reliability of downtown parking studies.
• Councilor Weems asked whether the underground parking could serve commercial users; Barnes said management and liability issues make that impractical.
• Councilor Ellis asked about the chimney swift population at the site; developer Dave Holman said the team is working on rehousing the birds, possibly at the Lincoln building or Brunswick High School.
• Councilor Hicks said she wants to discuss what public benefits the town should seek in exchange for the parking reduction.
• Town Manager Andrew announced that the Northern New England chapter of the American Planning Association named the Brunswick comprehensive plan plan of the year.

Next steps

• The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the contract zoning request on the evening after the workshop and vote on a recommendation.
• The Planning Board's recommendation will return to the council, which will decide whether to schedule its own public hearing.
• If the contract zone is approved, the applicant must return to the Planning Board for final site plan review.
• Councilor Hicks asked for an offline conversation about possible public benefits to offset the zoning change.

Read the full transcript