Auburn planning board approves Engine 2 site plan, grants five waivers for new South Main Street fire station

The Auburn Planning Board on Feb. 11 approved a site plan by Woodard and Curran for a new Engine 2 fire station at 180 South Main Street and granted five waivers to allow departures from local form‑based code requirements.

The project calls for a new 9,400‑square‑foot, single‑story building with a mezzanine, a drive‑through double apparatus bay, dormitories, a fitness room, kitchen and day room, office and conference space, decontamination and equipment-storage areas, and related site work. The board voted to approve waivers for building placement, window and door coverage, parking width, number of curb cuts and driveway widths so the new station can be constructed behind the existing building while that facility remains in service.

The vote matters because the design preserves emergency response operations during construction and brings living and apparatus areas up to modern standards. “The new building is a, 9,400 square foot building. It's 1 story with a mezzanine,” said Caitlin Sewer, project manager with Woodard and Curran, summarizing the program and the rationale for the phasing. Project presenters and staff said keeping the existing station active was a primary driver for the requested setbacks and driveway geometry.

Board members heard site constraints including wetlands behind the lot that limited footprint options and added permitting and mitigation costs. Julia Tate of Simon's Architects described the exterior design as a mix of residential‑scale elements for dormitories and public spaces, with more robust materials, such as ACMU block and metal panel, for the apparatus bay. Tate said the team reduced the building footprint during design iterations to minimize wetland impacts and associated fees.

The board approved five waivers by separate motions, each citing the applicable subsection of the code and the operational need for larger turning radii and separation of public and emergency access. Tim DeRoche, a planning board member, said, “I personally don't take any issue with any of these waivers, considering the integral role this building plays in the preservation of life and property.”

As part of the approval the motion required the project to meet city engineering requirements; staff noted the applicant must obtain any required blasting permits and other construction permits from the Auburn engineering and permitting departments before relevant work begins. The project will use phased construction so the existing station remains operational until the new facility is completed and placed in service.

Construction details, permit timing and a final construction schedule were not provided at the meeting. Staff and the applicant said they will return with any outstanding technical submittals required by engineering and site permit review.

The board's approval clears the project to move forward with required engineering and permitting steps. Applicants and staff said they will coordinate further inland‑wetland mitigation, utility connections and any blasting permits with the city.