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Saco Planning Board directs staff to draft negative recommendation on Flag Pond Road rezoning after traffic, industrial‑land concerns
Summary
After public comment raising traffic and spot‑zoning concerns, the Saco Planning Board asked staff to prepare a negative recommendation to council on a petition to rezone two Flag Pond Road parcels from industrial to Portland Road. The vote to request the draft was unanimous, 6‑0.
SACO — The Saco Planning Board on April 7 heard a petition to rezone two parcels on Flag Pond Road from industrial to the Portland Road (PR) district and, after public comment and extended deliberation, voted unanimously to ask staff to draft a negative recommendation for the City Council.
The petition was presented by Drew Gagnon of Goral Palmer on behalf of BAS Holdings, who said the applicant envisions a mixed‑use proposal with a workforce‑housing component. "It's going to be workforce housing," Gagnon said, describing the proposal as mixed commercial and residential and arguing PR zoning would better match nearby development and the city's comprehensive‑plan goals.
But multiple residents and board members flagged safety and land‑use concerns. "Spot zoning doesn't make me feel great," said Katrina Patello, a nearby resident, who urged the board to consider the cumulative traffic impacts of new housing and the costs to tie into sewer and other infrastructure. Paul Hersy, another Flag Pond Road resident, described peak‑hour volumes and limited sightlines at the proposed entrance.
Board members repeatedly raised the limited supply of industrial land in Saco and the role that land plays in attracting jobs and larger taxpayers. Several members noted the parcel's recent rezoning history and questioned whether converting more industrial land was consistent with long‑term city strategy.
Applicant representatives argued practical constraints. "The site has a large wetland complex and would be very difficult to permit for industrial use," Gagnon told the board, urging that the site's upland and access challenges make PR more viable.
After closing the public hearing, the board voted 6‑0 to request staff prepare a negative recommendation on the rezoning application for map 76, lots 12‑2 and 13‑1 so the Planning Board can review a draft letter before sending its recommendation to council.
What happens next: Staff will draft a recommendation reflecting the board's concerns about loss of industrial land, traffic and buffering. The Planning Board will review and vote on that recommendation at a future meeting before the item goes to City Council.
Votes and formal actions: The board opened and closed the public hearing and passed a motion (6‑0) requesting staff draft a negative recommendation to council on this rezoning request. No final council decision was made at the meeting.
