Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Hammond Lumber topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge committee to block industrial rezoning of lot owned by Hammond Lumber
Summary
Residents warned the committee that reclassifying a residential lot owned by Hammond Lumber as industrial would increase truck traffic, noise and reduce housing values; Hammond representatives said there are no current expansion plans and asked the committee to consider the parcel in context.
Carol Lane, a resident of Albania Street, told the Auburn Comprehensive Planning Committee she and neighbors oppose changing a nearby residential lot to industrial use, saying it would harm neighborhood safety, increase truck traffic and reduce property values. "Hammond Lumber has a well documented history of not acting in the best interest of those around them and doing damage to our neighborhood," Lane said during public comment.
Hammond Lumber and its consultant responded at the meeting. Henry Hess of Sebago Technics, joined by Steve Bray of Hammond Lumber, said the company believes it has owned the parcel since 2019 and has no immediate plans to expand into the frontage now under discussion. Hess asked the committee to weigh the absence of current plans while the committee considers future land-use designations. The committee later reconsidered the same Hammond parcel as a formal agenda item; a motion to change the lot from its current industrial designation back to compact residential failed, leaving the prior industrial designation in place.
