ORONO, Maine — The preliminary plan for a 270-unit student housing near the University of Maine was approved by the Orono Planning Board Wednesday. The New York based developer Park7 Group has until Friday to submit a final application for the proposed complex, which will be called The Avenue.
The approval met resistance, as both the gathered public and members of the planning board expressed concerns over Park7’s construction and business plans. Facility maintenance, public safety and stormwater management were some of the larger issues voiced at the meeting.
“Maintenance is the biggest issue this project will have to deal with,” said Phil Ruck, chairman of the Orono Planning Board.
Park7 hired WBRC Architects and Engineers of Bangor to design the project, and landscape architect Paul Brody and engineer Paul Monyok were on hand to discuss the changes that had been made to plans for The Avenue since the last meeting on April 18.
According to Brody, Park7 representatives have met with various contracting organizations to come up with a maintenance proposal that includes a bi-annual sweep of the property at the end of Washburn Drive.
Despite this, Ruck and Town Planner Evan Richert still had concerns about keeping the property clean after neighbors of the nearby The Grove housing complex have complained of broken glass and trash on the grounds and surrounding trails.
“I think this needs to be more than just a twice-per-year thing,” Richert said.
Orono resident Michael Opitz mirrored the concerns.
“Routine inspection should take place,” Opitz said. “[Broken glass] is a safety issue for people and pets.”
Opitz said that the littering is partially because of students living on their own in an unsupervised manner for the first time.
“There’s no supervision. There should be predetermined educational programs,” Opitz said.
In order to avoid a repeat of the issues faced by The Grove on its opening weekend, The Avenue plans to work closely with law enforcement and have “one or two” police officers live on-site. According to Brody, Park7 has been in close cooperation with the Orono Police Department in coming up with a list of security measures, including a maximum of five guests per apartment, a ban on kegs and a ban on fireworks.
“We’ve had a sort of gentleman’s agreement. Both of us need to understand what’s going on with security,” said Police Chief Josh Ewing of Park7.
Stormwater management was a large issue at the April 18 meeting and was addressed through work with the Orono town engineer, who reviewed Park7’s designs and gave recommendations, which have been incorporated into the new plans, according to Brody. This has been done by switching from the original overland drainage pipe to a closed pipe that will run underneath Penobscot Street and will not disrupt the ground stability beneath the street and adjacent railroad.
At the end of the hearing, the board made the motion to approve the preliminary plans with the condition that Park7 observe the maintenance and public safety recommendations made by the board. Once the final application is submitted, the board must act within 15 days.
According to Barker, because of the nature and scale of the project, the board would need more time than usual to approve the final application.