By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

Some local businesses might be getting larger after the town council approved what town planner Dan Bacon referred to as “another round of zoning amendments” last week. The council unanimously approved the creation of a new “local business” zoning area along Route One.

Since the 1960s, development along Route One has conformed with regional commercial Business 2 zone (B2) regulations, which do not restrict the size of commercial buildings allowed in that zone, Bacon said. The new local Business 3 zone (B3) proposed by the amendment contains regulations concerning structure size and use. Unlike the B2 regulation, B3 also allows the integration of residential and commercial structures within the specified zone, Bacon said.

The B3 amendment stems from planning board efforts to implement Scarborough’s Comprehensive Plan for Route One by eliminating the existing B2 zoning from Sawyer Road to the beginning of the Scarborough Marsh and replacing it with the new B3 zoning regulations, Bacon said.

“The primary difference is [B3] limits the size of buildings to 30,000 square feet, which is a bit larger than what you see now,” he said.

Bacon said the B2 zone is likely to remain in effect along Payne Road and other similar areas to encourage the development of large commercial structures, while the B3 will continue to regulate areas of town that include residential, office and retail buildings.

“The [Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee] considers Route One to be more of a local area,” Bacon said. 

The amendment also included an incentive for large developments to “go green” by allowing them to exceed the 30,000 square foot building size as the town planning board is satisfied the development incorporates “green” building approaches.

“The idea isn’t to discourage big box retail stores, but to reward developers for ‘going green,’” Bacon said. 

In addition to approving the new B3 zone, the council voted in favor of another change increasing the Town Village Center (TVC) zone at Oak Hill from Foxcroft Drive to the Maine Medical Center Campus. The extension of the TVC is also one of the planning board’s efforts to implement the goals of the Comprehensive Plan by allowing the downtown to expand into what is now strictly a commercial zone, per B2 regulations.

“The TVC will extend the development pattern of Oak Hill to include small to moderate scale businesses, with some residential as well,” Bacon said. 

Councilor Michael Wood referred to the effort to “clean things up” as a positive step for the zoning in Scarborough, but did ask if any existing buildings would be non-conforming to the new zoning regulations. 

Perhaps the only structure in question is the Orion Center, which has recently been acquired by Hannaford Supermarkets and had a site plan for a shopping center approved, Bacon said. Hannaford spokespersons were unavailable for comment on their plans for the site.

Bacon said he didn’t believe any other existing structures would violate the B3 policies.

“The setback changes aren’t that different,” he said.

Councilor Sylvia Most, a liaison for the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee said the change would make zoning clearer and more consistent.

“We will continue to see the same type of measures as we proceed,” she said.