PORTLAND, Maine — There is some debate over whether or not a parcel of land in Portland’s Stroudwater neighborhood should be rezoned.
Portland’s Planning Board held a public hearing Tuesday night to consider the request.
Touchstone Enterprise of Scarbrough is asking the city to rezone 52 acres at 1772 Westbrook St. from a low-impact industrial to a moderate-impact industrial zone. This is so the company can build warehouse buildings on the land.
"It’s very, very busy,” Christy Ellington, who has lived on Westbrook St. for 13 years, said.
Ellington explained she opposes the zoning request. She fears if the request is accepted, traffic will get worse.
“I’m not opposed to development, it’s the increase in what I believe will be significant truck traffic at potentially all hours of the day and night,” she added.
Ellington is not alone. Many yards along Westbrook Street have signs that say "OPPOSE THE ZONE CHANGE."
"There's a lot of traffic, but it's really the devils in the details," Jennifer Stenberg, who lives in the neighborhood, said. "It's tractor-trailers we're concerned about, and this road cannot support them."
In the end, the planning board voted three to one to not recommend the zoning request to Portland City Council.
Two board members were absent from the meeting, and one member recused himself.
A city spokesperson told NEWS CENTER Maine a vote date has not been set yet.