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Auburn planning board approves two‑year temporary UPS overflow parking lot at airport site
Summary
The Auburn Planning Board approved a special‑exception site plan for a 36,293 sq ft temporary gravel overflow parking lot to serve UPS at 45 Flight Line Drive, with a two‑year limit measured from the site’s placed‑in‑service date and conditions on stormwater documentation and waived paving requirements.
The Auburn Planning Board voted 6–1 on Aug. 19 to approve a site plan and special exception allowing a temporary 36,293‑square‑foot gravel overflow parking lot for United Parcel Service at 45 Flight Line Drive, a parcel at Auburn Municipal Airport.
Staff told the board the two‑year interim use will give UPS time to design and permit permanent improvements at its own property across the street, and that staff and the city’s engineering reviewers had resolved stormwater questions prior to the meeting. The board’s motion tied the special‑exception term to a two‑year clock starting when city staff deem the lot “placed in service.”
Why it matters: The parcel will be used while nearby airport construction removes existing overflow parking; staff recommended limited waivers of permanent paving, striping and curbing because the lot is temporary. The city retained a stormwater engineering email from Wentworth Partners and Associates as a condition of approval.
Applicant and engineering: Steve Gavone of Wentworth Partners and Associates presented the applicant’s engineering analysis, saying he took a conservative approach to hydrology (using a high runoff coefficient for the proposed surface) and calculated the project increases peak flow by “less than 1.1 cubic feet per second” for a 25‑year storm. Gavone described the site as previously filled and used as a laydown yard and said photos in the record show use dating back to 1997.
Public comment and board deliberation: Resident Steven Beal asked the board to explicitly limit approval to two years from the effective date of a lease or from the placed‑in‑service date; the board’s adopted motion included that limitation and specified that the two‑year period begins when city staff confirm the lot is placed in service. Mark BL, who identified himself as a contractor for UPS and a member of the airport board, said corporate engineering turnover and internal funding processes are slowing UPS’s permanent project and supported a temporary solution.
Conditions and waivers: The board’s motion recorded that the special exception is accessory off‑street parking under the city code, allowed limited waivers of paving/striping/loading standards because of the temporary nature (reference: section 60‑60717), required that the Wentworth Partners stormwater email be included in the permanent record, and noted that any permanent non‑aeronautical commercial use would require separate FAA and state/city approvals. Bonding/inspection fees must be set before development activity, and any required blasting permit and other permits must be obtained.
Vote and next steps: The motion passed 6–1. Staff will document the placed‑in‑service date with the applicant, record the stormwater email in the project file and monitor compliance; if UPS seeks continued use beyond two years it must return to the board to request a permanent change or an extension.
Parcel and reference: The approved motion referenced Parcel ID 131‑00007 and the project documentation on file with the Planning Department. The approval applies to the temporary gravel parking lot and associated site improvements only; permanent development on the parcel would require additional approvals.
