Staff Writer

Neighboring communities may be rallying to close  municipal and school budget gaps while dealing with commercial vacancies, residential foreclosures and state funding shortfalls due to the national economic downturn, but Scarborough officials report that all is normal. 

Both Town Manager Tom Hall and Superintendent David Doyle said they expect to present their proposed budgets in the next few months –- per the traditional budget cycle – and despite Scarborough Economic Development Corporation President Harvey Rosenfeld saying a “major developer” had backed out of a potential project in town, two other commercial developers are putting roots down along Route 1: Walgreen’s and MaineHealth.

Bohler Engineering Project Manager Bill Goebel said there was “no issue” meeting modifications requested by the planning board during a meeting last month regarding the conversion of the former Burger King restaurant at Oak Hill Plaza to a Walgreen’s pharmacy. Despite concerns about lighting spillover, landscaping and two green space waivers, board members were largely in favor of an updated Walgreen’s site plan that included changes to the parking field in front of the Family Dollar retail store, access from Gorham Road and Route 1 and upgrades to the storm water treatment plan initially proposed, as was specifically requested by Planning Board member Anne Littlefield, on Monday. 

“[The current storm water plan] is basically state-of-the-art technology,” Goebel said.

The board unanimously approved Walgreen’s final proposal, which Littlefield said “satiated” her storm water management concerns.

“Welcome to Walgreen’s,” Planning Board Chairman Allen Paul said.

MaineHealth, a nonprofit organization that employs more than 200 private physicians and a host of hospitals throughout central and southern Maine, is looking to relocate 290 Nordx employees -– all currently working on Maine Medical Center’s campus by the turnpike connector -– and up to 90 South Portland Maine Medical Partners employees to a new facility at the former Orion Center, less than one mile from the proposed Walgreen’s.

“There will be a lot of very high-tech equipment [at the site],” Maine Medical Partners Vice President of Planning Paul Gray said. “And there will be no patient activity. A very small staff will be kept at [the Campus Drive facility] to collect blood donations.”

SMRT Engineer Mark Johnson said the first phase of the Nordx and Maine Medical Partners move would include some improvements to the site’s current landscaping plan, new building signs and the purchase of a single-family home in the northeast portion of the parcel. The second phase would likely include an addition joining the two existing large buildings number one and two, and either the expansion of building number three or construction of two new buildings directly adjacent to Route 1, and applying all the buildings for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, Johnson said.

Abutting property owners seemed pleased with the proposal for the currently vacant space. Resident Gary Gillespie said he recalled the days when the same space was occupied by retail distributor “Mammoth Mart” and had dealt with former owner Dead River in regard to a security light spilling over onto his property.

“This is far superior to the undisclosed, top secret grocery store that was going to go in there,” Gillespie said, refering to rumors of a national grocery chain planned to anchor the complex. “This proposal is the finest we’ve seen so far. You can’t choose your neighbors, but I think we have a good one in this instance.”

Members of the planning board were largely pleased with the initial sketch plan presented at Monday’s meeting, regardless of some lighting, parking and sign issues Paul referred to as “pretty usual stuff.”

“We’re excited,” Paul said. “It’s going to be a lot better than what was formerly proposed. We’re looking forward to the expansion.”

Planning Board Secretary Carol Logan said final approval for the first phase of the MaineHealth project at the Orion center could take “some time.”