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Votes at a glance: Auburn Planning Board postpones multiple projects to March, approves Engine 2 site plan and asks legal to review January elections
Summary
On Feb. 11 the board approved postponements for four development applications to the March 11 meeting, granted five waivers and final approval for the Engine 2 fire station, and voted to send a legal review request about the January chair and vice chair elections to the city attorney.
The Auburn Planning Board on Feb. 11 took several procedural and substantive votes: it postponed multiple development reviews to March 11, approved waivers and the site plan for a new Engine 2 fire station at 180 South Main Street, and asked staff to seek a legal opinion about the board's January chair and vice chair elections.
Why this matters: the postponements reset the schedule for several pending projects and the Engine 2 approval advances a key public‑safety capital project. The board's request for a legal review reflects member and public questions about adherence to Robert's Rules of Order during recent board appointments.
Votes at a glance - Stetson Road multifamily project (AR Development): Postponed to the March 11, 2025 planning board meeting at the applicant's request. Staff reported the applicant reduced the proposal by 20 units to 160 units and will provide a traffic study next month; the board voted to postpone. (Motion recorded as carried; numeric tally not specified.)
- Danville Corner housing development: Reopened for discussion and then postponed to the March 11, 2025 meeting pending a written legal opinion about dimensional regulations under section 60‑307; staff and consultants will revise the site plan based on that legal review. (Motion recorded as carried; numeric tally not specified.)
- BWC Gulf Island Pond / Auburn Solar Project: Postponed to the March 11, 2025 meeting so the applicant can provide missing materials including financial security, waste disposal and site stabilization plans and a topsoil maintenance plan. Notices to abutters had been mailed; staff explained the applicant missed a deadline for submittals. (Motion recorded as carried; numeric tally not specified.)
- Soaper Mill Brook / Penley Corner solar project: Postponed to the March 11, 2025 meeting for similar outstanding materials as the Auburn Solar Project; applicant expects to meet the March deadline. (Motion recorded as carried; numeric tally not specified.)
- Engine 2 waivers and site plan (180 South Main Street): The board approved five waivers from sections of the form‑based code (building placement, window/door coverage, parking width, two curb cuts and driveway widths) and approved the final site plan for a new 9,400‑square‑foot fire station. Approval was conditioned on meeting Auburn engineering requirements and obtaining any required blasting permits. (Motions recorded as carried; numeric tallies not specified.)
- Legal review of January chair and vice chair election: The board voted to ask staff to submit the matter to the city attorney for review after a public commenter and several board members raised concerns about procedure and Robert's Rules of Order. (Motion carried; numeric tally not specified.)
Where vote counts were not stated, the minutes record that motions carried after the chair asked "all those in favor?" and the board responded; no numeric roll call was read into the meeting transcript.
Next steps for the postponed items: applicants were instructed to return with the outstanding technical materials and any required legal or engineering submittals for the March 11 meeting.
