Planning board approves Procter & Gamble warehouse expansion at 2879 Hotel Road with conditions

The Auburn Planning Board voted to approve an amended site plan and special exception for Tam Brands (Procter & Gamble) to expand its plant at 2879 Hotel Road. The motion, moved by a board member and seconded, incorporated staff’s recommended conditions: filing FAA form 45 days before construction, providing a performance bond for stormwater, and securing approved NRPA permits for wetlands prior to construction. The board accepted staff’s findings of fact and the motion carried.

David Latham, civil engineer with Harriman Associates, presented the two new warehouses and a revised truck routing. “We need, 670, 5 foot line of sight. We have over 1000 going to the left. We have a bit over 800 going to the right,” Latham said when describing the sight-distance study. Latham and a Procter & Gamble representative said the additions are intended to increase on‑site storage and reduce off‑site truck trips; the applicant also reported that post‑development runoff rates were modeled as lower than predevelopment rates for the 2-, 10- and 25-year storms.

Board members pressed staff and the applicant on stormwater and wetlands. Staff noted that the application is treated as an amendment under chapter 60 because the expansion exceeds 10 percent of the previously approved site plan and that local wetland standards are limited; the applicant said they were working with DEP and the Army Corps and requested conditional approval to proceed with long‑lead items that do not impact wetlands. The approval is conditioned on obtaining required state and federal permits before construction begins.

The board’s vote approved the application as described in the motion and recorded the findings of fact as the official record of the decision.