BANGOR, Maine — A rezoning decision has cleared the way for developers to continue ironing out plans for a First Street apartment complex geared toward working families.
The Bangor City Council during its Monday night meeting voted 7-2 to approve a contract zone change request that will convert two parcels of land near the intersection of First and Davis streets. That clears the way for further consideration of an up-to-25-unit apartment building planned by Bangor Housing Development Corp.
The decision backs a 5-1 planning board vote last week that also supported the zoning change.
The site development plans still need to be finalized and approved through the planning board and council before any construction can move forward.
Bangor Housing officials have said they identified a need for quality workforce housing in the area. The corporation, a development wing of Bangor Housing Authority, purchased and demolished six run-down apartment buildings on the street to make way for the project.
The proposal has stirred controversy in the neighborhood, with some area residents arguing that more apartments will mean more of the same types of problems — crime and dilapidated properties. Several West Side Village residents have argued that owner-occupied homes bring stability to neighborhoods and build a sense of community.
Councilors Pauline Civiello and James Gallant sided with those residents, arguing that apartment units wouldn’t be in the area’s best interest, or fall within the city’s plan for that troubled section of town.
Councilor Gibran Graham, who rents a West Side property, said he knows of many renters, as well as homeowners, who take responsibility for their community and contribute to improving it.
“There is a severe lack of quality rentals in Bangor, and there’s only one way to encourage that,” to allow such properties to be built, Graham said. The new apartments will improve the appearance of the area and bring in new people who will be involved in the community, he argued.
In other business, the council also confirmed pair of department heads for appointment. Patricia Hamilton of Bangor has been appointed director of Health and Community Services, and John Theriault of Bangor has been named city engineer.
Hamilton has been serving as interim director of the department since August 2013, when former director Shawn Yardley left the city’s employ for a similar position with Penobscot Community Health Care. Hamilton also was interim director for five months in 2003.
Theriault succeeds Arthur Morgan, who retired in March. He has been senior project manager for the James Sewall Co. for the past five years. Before that, he worked for Ames A/E Architects and Engineers as senior civil and traffic engineer, a position he held for eight years.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter @nmccrea213.