By Molly Lovell
Editor
     The Scarborough Planning Board voted unanimously to grant final approval for the Gateway at Scarborough project during their regular meeting on Monday, March 12.
     The project is a mixed-use development that will include 438,000 square-feet of retail, commercial and office space. Its anchor tenant is a 138,000 square-foot Cabela’s store, which sells hunting, fishing and outdoor gear.
     The $74 million project will be located on two sites adjacent to the Payne Road and Haigis Parkway. New England Expedition is the company developing the project.
     “We’ve been at this for six months now in front of the board, and longer than that in front of the council. I think we were all happy with the give and take that’s formed over the course of the project,” said Gene Beaudoin, a principal developer of the project.
     The project was first presented to town officials last summer.  Last year the project’s approval process slowed when Cabela’s requested an exemption on sales tax from the state for its catalog and Internet sales.
     The company eventually dropped their request and the project was able to move forward.
     The town has also negotiated a tax increment financing (TIF) agreement with New England Expedition. Owners and developers of the project will receive $825,000 a year for 10 years once the property reaches $55 million in value. The $825,000 is the tax money that will be generated when the project reaches $55 in million valuation.
     The town will receive any money generated in taxes above the $825,000 mark and after 10 years all of the tax revenue generated by the development will go to the town.
     The Planning Board had scheduled a special meeting last week to grant its final approval of the project but the developers had not yet received all of the permits necessary to move forward.
     Permits from the Maine Department of Transportation, the Maine Turnpike Authority and Department of Environmental Protection have been issued.
     Developers are still waiting on a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
     Assistant Town Planner and liason to the Planning Board Dan Bacon said the Army Corps is still reviewing the language for a conservation easement and performance bond for a wetland mitigation project that the applicant will be conducting at a different site.
     The Planning Department received a letter from the Army Corps stating that they were comfortable if the project moved forward, however.
     “Based on the content (of the letter), staff is comfortable with the board proceeding if the board is comfortable,” Bacon said.
     One revision to the plan had to deal with impact fees and how they will be paid. Bacon said that when the original plans were drafted the Payne Road and Dunstan impact fees were to be paid before the first building permit was issued.
     The revision will proportion the payment of those fees on a building by building basis.
     “It spreads the payment out over the life of the project as opposed to all up front,” Bacon said.
     Planning Board member Bud Hanson described the process as a “an experience,” and added, “my only comment is, welcome to Scarborough.”
      Other members echoed Hanson’s sentiments and welcomed the development to the area.
    “I congratulate you for being the first risk taker on Haigis Parkway and hopefully a lot of people will follow suit. I’m sure it’s going to be a great enhancement for the town of Scarborough,” said John Chamberlain.
     In addition to Cabela’s, the project will include approximately 68,600 square-feet of compatible retail space, three 6,000 square-foot free standing restaurants, a 4,000 square-foot banking facility, a 200 room hotel and 80,000 square-feet of office space.
     The developers have hired R.J. Grondin & Sons out of Gorham to perform site work for the project and predict the initial clearing of the land to begin as early as next week.
     A formal ground breaking ceremony is scheduled to take place in about a month and the retail stores and restaurants should be open by May 2008.