Portland planning board approves 97 Warren Avenue self‑storage site plan with conditions

The Portland Planning Board on April 28 approved the site plan for a proposed four‑story self‑storage building at 97 Warren Avenue, finding the plans conform to the city’s site plan standards (PL‑003487‑2025). The board voted unanimously, 7‑0, to adopt the findings and authorize the chair to sign the approval letter; the approval is subject to conditions listed in the staff report, including final storm drain design and execution of an easement to accommodate a planned neighborhood byway before certificate of occupancy.

Planning staff told the board the project, proposed by Peachtree Acquisitions (Hayley Ward), would create an approximately 22,000‑square‑foot building in the B4 Commercial Corridor zone with 11 on‑site parking spaces, a central loading area, landscape buffering and underground stormwater detention and filtration. Staff said the application was reviewed for compliance with site plan standard 13.6.0.4 and noted two written public comments and a December 17, 2025 neighborhood meeting with six attendees.

An applicant representative described the design as an enclosed, interior‑access storage facility with one 20‑foot curb cut to Warren Avenue and interior access for tenants. The representative said on‑site hours would be roughly 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; after‑hours access would require an access code and 24/7 monitoring rather than an open‑access building. “It’s gonna be open from 09:30 to 6PM,” the applicant representative said, adding that the facility would be monitored and that occasional after‑hours access would require secure codes.

The applicant and staff explained stormwater would be detained and treated on site in an underground system using a proprietary filtration device, and that the proposed storm drain connection requires public works approval. As a condition of approval, staff recommended the applicant finalize the design to extend the city storm drain and execute an easement granting the city rights to construct and maintain a future paved multiuse trail through the southwest corner of the parcel.

Several board members pressed the applicant on tree preservation, noise, and circulation. The applicant indicated the planting plan preserves 19 of the site’s mature trees measuring 16 inches DBH or larger (described in the application as 82% of such trees within setback areas) and proposed supplemental plantings plus an 8‑foot screen fence along the residential property line. A technical representative said mechanical condenser units would sit on the roof within a parapet and one unit would be behind a stair, which the applicant said should minimize audible impacts to the adjacent residential area.

Nearby residents spoke during public comment. Chandler Green, whose property sits one lot over, asked the board to require “enough trees and vegetation to create a barrier so the folks living on our street just aren’t staring at the storage facility.” Erin K. Flood of Avalon Road questioned the need for another storage facility given an existing location nearby, asked whether a market need study had been performed, requested a fuller tree/habitat inventory, and raised concerns about traffic using alternate neighborhood streets and emergency response if an incident occurred on site. Mitch Sachs of Veral Street urged the board to preserve the planned neighborhood byway connection through the property to maintain bike and pedestrian access.

The board moved to approve the site plan review and, after a roll call, adopted the staff report’s findings and the drafted approval letter as the planning board’s decision for PL‑003487‑2025. The approval is conditioned on finalizing storm drain connection design to the city’s satisfaction and executing the easement language giving the city rights to build the trail; those items must be completed prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy. Chair Joseph Zamboni closed the hearing and signed the approval authorization.

Next steps: the applicant must satisfy the listed pre‑permit conditions, obtain any required public works approvals for the storm drain connection, and execute the easement language with the city before a building permit is issued and a certificate of occupancy granted.