Plan approved, portion of road closed
By David Harry
Staff Writer
A side route through the Redbank area was closed late last week after South Portland councilors approved a plan that will pave the way for a retail project.
The council on Sept. 8 voted 5-2 to discontinue 838 feet of Gorham Road Extension between Western Avenue and Westbrook Street. Councilors by the same margin also approved the $600,000 sale of 1.45 acres of city-owned land at 85 Western Ave. to local developer Vincent Maietta.
The sale and road closure clear the way for a retail project Maietta said he has planned for four years. South Portland Assistant City Manager Erik Carson said the sale was expected to be completed Wednesday, after the Sentry deadline.
The city has owned the land since 1968, when it was taken by eminent domain proceedings with the plan it would be the site of a firehouse, according to bid documents. Carson last month said Maietta was the sole bidder for the land.
Maietta’s development plans and the city’s actions drew criticism from some Redbank residents who said they counted on using the road to avoid increased traffic on Western Avenue.
Lawrence McDonald, who lives on nearby Devereaux Circle, said closing the road would “inconvenience hundreds of people and cause traffic jams.”
McDonald said the road is used as a shortcut to the Maine Mall and is easier to turn onto than using the intersection at Westbrook Street and Western Avenue. He criticized the hearing process because “people know it has been a done deal for a long time.”
Scarborough resident Janet Robinson also urged councilors to keep the road open because it is an “important pedestrian and bike pathway used as an alternative to Western Avenue,” where she said traffic can be “hair-raising.”
Robinson urged councilors to ensure bicyclists and pedestrians had safe access to Western Avenue if they approved closing Gorham Road Extension.
Greg Lewis of South Portland asked councilors to keep the land and the road open because the planned shopping center was unneeded. He also questioned whether it would be completed because of Maietta Construction’s July Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
Maietta said last month that while he would use Maietta Construction as a contractor for the work, the development company leading the project is a separate company.
The 34,000-square-foot Western Avenue Crossing will be built on the former city land and house perhaps a dozen retail operations, including three restaurants, Maietta said.
Maietta said leases already have been signed by Buffalo Wild Wings and Subway and he anticipates the shopping center to be at least partially open by next spring.
Lewis asked councilors to vote against the sale and road closure because of the abundance of retail areas in the city and a high retail vacancy rate.
“How many more crappy strip malls do we need?” he asked.
In a special meeting Monday, councilors voted 6-1 with Councilor Tom Blake opposing to spend $125,000 in tax increment financing funds to relocate utilities in the area.
Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.
Staff Writer
A side route through the Redbank area was closed late last week after South Portland councilors approved a plan that will pave the way for a retail project.
The council on Sept. 8 voted 5-2 to discontinue 838 feet of Gorham Road Extension between Western Avenue and Westbrook Street. Councilors by the same margin also approved the $600,000 sale of 1.45 acres of city-owned land at 85 Western Ave. to local developer Vincent Maietta.
The sale and road closure clear the way for a retail project Maietta said he has planned for four years. South Portland Assistant City Manager Erik Carson said the sale was expected to be completed Wednesday, after the Sentry deadline.
The city has owned the land since 1968, when it was taken by eminent domain proceedings with the plan it would be the site of a firehouse, according to bid documents. Carson last month said Maietta was the sole bidder for the land.
Maietta’s development plans and the city’s actions drew criticism from some Redbank residents who said they counted on using the road to avoid increased traffic on Western Avenue.
Lawrence McDonald, who lives on nearby Devereaux Circle, said closing the road would “inconvenience hundreds of people and cause traffic jams.”
McDonald said the road is used as a shortcut to the Maine Mall and is easier to turn onto than using the intersection at Westbrook Street and Western Avenue. He criticized the hearing process because “people know it has been a done deal for a long time.”
Scarborough resident Janet Robinson also urged councilors to keep the road open because it is an “important pedestrian and bike pathway used as an alternative to Western Avenue,” where she said traffic can be “hair-raising.”
Robinson urged councilors to ensure bicyclists and pedestrians had safe access to Western Avenue if they approved closing Gorham Road Extension.
Greg Lewis of South Portland asked councilors to keep the land and the road open because the planned shopping center was unneeded. He also questioned whether it would be completed because of Maietta Construction’s July Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
Maietta said last month that while he would use Maietta Construction as a contractor for the work, the development company leading the project is a separate company.
The 34,000-square-foot Western Avenue Crossing will be built on the former city land and house perhaps a dozen retail operations, including three restaurants, Maietta said.
Maietta said leases already have been signed by Buffalo Wild Wings and Subway and he anticipates the shopping center to be at least partially open by next spring.
Lewis asked councilors to vote against the sale and road closure because of the abundance of retail areas in the city and a high retail vacancy rate.
“How many more crappy strip malls do we need?” he asked.
In a special meeting Monday, councilors voted 6-1 with Councilor Tom Blake opposing to spend $125,000 in tax increment financing funds to relocate utilities in the area.
Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.
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