Saco: CVS plan needs more information
By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer
The development company looking to build a CVS in downtown Saco must provide more information about the historical significance of buildings on and next to the proposed Elm Street building site.
The Saco Planning Board unanimously decided Jan. 19 the site plan application submitted by Grammas Investment LLC is incomplete, reversing a December vote. The project would require demolition of seven buildings on six lots on Elm Street, Pleasant Street and Thornton Avenue.
Opponents of the plan say more time is needed to determine if any of the buildings set to be demolished have historical significance. The house at 59 Pleasant St. was built as early as 1799 and was home to Cyrus King, whose relative signed the Constitution, according to opponents.
Bill Kany, an attorney for developer John Grammas, told board members the department told the developer there were no buildings currently listed on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places at the site.
“It is not our responsibility, nor our function, to do 200 years of deed research to determine that Cyrus King once owned 59 Pleasant St.,” Kany said.
Board member Donald Girouard said it is “not an unreasonable burden” to ask the applicant to gather more information about the buildings.
Following the meeting, Kany said the board placed an “unacceptable” burden on the applicant. He called the request of the board a “Herculean task” to accomplish that is unprecedented for the city.
City Planner Bob Hamblen said this “level of scrutiny is unprecedented in the last 10 years” and the board has not required this level of research from an applicant. He said Grammas will need to hire a qualified expert in historic buildings to conduct an “intensive local-level survey” of the properties in question. The process likely will take up to two months to complete, he said.
If one of the buildings on the development site is eligible for the historic district, the developer may still be able to move forward with the plan, Hamblen said. The standards of approval for site plan review do not include a provision that prevents an eligible building from being torn down, he said.
The planning board also unanimously approved changes to B3 zoning district in the downtown area, which will be forwarded to the city council for final review.
Changes to the zoning district include limiting new buildings to 3,000 square feet and implementing a demolition delay of older buildings. The demolition delay is intended to “afford the city … the opportunity to acquire or arrange for the preservation of historic buildings and structures.”
Any proposed new building that has retail or commercial use on the first floor must also provide a residential space that is at least 35 percent of the building’s size. Owners of buildings in the district between Main and Elm streets will be required to replace any housing units displayed during building projects. Replacement residential units can be relocated or the building owners will be required to pay a $50,000 replacement fee per unit.
Changes also prohibit drive-through windows except at banks and move hotels and motels to the district’s conditional use list.
Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.
Staff Writer
The development company looking to build a CVS in downtown Saco must provide more information about the historical significance of buildings on and next to the proposed Elm Street building site.
The Saco Planning Board unanimously decided Jan. 19 the site plan application submitted by Grammas Investment LLC is incomplete, reversing a December vote. The project would require demolition of seven buildings on six lots on Elm Street, Pleasant Street and Thornton Avenue.
Opponents of the plan say more time is needed to determine if any of the buildings set to be demolished have historical significance. The house at 59 Pleasant St. was built as early as 1799 and was home to Cyrus King, whose relative signed the Constitution, according to opponents.
Bill Kany, an attorney for developer John Grammas, told board members the department told the developer there were no buildings currently listed on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places at the site.
“It is not our responsibility, nor our function, to do 200 years of deed research to determine that Cyrus King once owned 59 Pleasant St.,” Kany said.
Board member Donald Girouard said it is “not an unreasonable burden” to ask the applicant to gather more information about the buildings.
Following the meeting, Kany said the board placed an “unacceptable” burden on the applicant. He called the request of the board a “Herculean task” to accomplish that is unprecedented for the city.
City Planner Bob Hamblen said this “level of scrutiny is unprecedented in the last 10 years” and the board has not required this level of research from an applicant. He said Grammas will need to hire a qualified expert in historic buildings to conduct an “intensive local-level survey” of the properties in question. The process likely will take up to two months to complete, he said.
If one of the buildings on the development site is eligible for the historic district, the developer may still be able to move forward with the plan, Hamblen said. The standards of approval for site plan review do not include a provision that prevents an eligible building from being torn down, he said.
The planning board also unanimously approved changes to B3 zoning district in the downtown area, which will be forwarded to the city council for final review.
Changes to the zoning district include limiting new buildings to 3,000 square feet and implementing a demolition delay of older buildings. The demolition delay is intended to “afford the city … the opportunity to acquire or arrange for the preservation of historic buildings and structures.”
Any proposed new building that has retail or commercial use on the first floor must also provide a residential space that is at least 35 percent of the building’s size. Owners of buildings in the district between Main and Elm streets will be required to replace any housing units displayed during building projects. Replacement residential units can be relocated or the building owners will be required to pay a $50,000 replacement fee per unit.
Changes also prohibit drive-through windows except at banks and move hotels and motels to the district’s conditional use list.
Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.
Comments