York Town News
Town Farm discussions take new turn as local resident donates 17.5 acres
By Larry Favinger and Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK VILLAGE - Local residents will get to tell the Board of Selectmen next month whether they want to see a portion of the Town Farm sold as house lots - and will formally decide in May whether to accept a donation of more than 17 acres of open space adjacent to the property.The announcement of the donation from local resident and real estate developer Duane Jellison came during Monday night's selectmen's meeting.
Also at the meeting, the board received a petition presented by Howard Koeppel urging the selectmen not to make any decisions about the Town Farm without a formal public hearing on the subject.
Selectmen Chairman David Marshall assured Koeppel and the many residents who had signed the petition that is exactly what the board will do.
In fact, a proposal to divide 2.5 acres of the old Town Farm property on Long Sands Road into three house lots for sale to the public at market value will be the subject of a public hearing when the Board of Selectmen holds its next regular meeting on Jan. 8.
Marshall said the proposal could be looked at as a way to offset costs while preserving about 30 acres of land fronting on Ferncroft Road for a possible park, walking trails and wetlands mitigation.
In May, voters approved a warrant article allowing the selectmen to negotiate the sale of certain town-owned properties with the stipulation that the funds will be used to defray the cost of municipal building projects. Marshall estimated the sale of the three proposed lots could net as much as $600,000, while keeping with the character of the surrounding residential neighborhood.
He said the proposal would preserve about 12 acres of the Town Farm parcel with land offered, at no cost, to the town by Jellison. In conjunction with an existing Central Maine Power right-of-way, the preserved land would essentially create a connection of open space and possible walking trails or other uses from Woodbridge Road through to the York High School property, he said.
The decision on the Jellison donation immediately won the board's full support.
The selectmen accepted - with "great gratitude" - 17.50 acres of land from Jellison, agreeing to place the donation on the ballot in May for voter approval. By charter, voters must approve the acceptance of such gifts to the town.
Marshall used a map to illustrate how the 17-plus acres abut the York High School property and the Town Farm lands.
The area in question is located behind Jellison's "The Ridge" development on Ridge Road. In making the gift, the selectmen noted, Jellison told the town he had decided not to propose any additional development for the parcel beyond the house lots previously approved for The Ridge, and wished instead to gift the land to the town for its needs.
Marshall said if the voters accept that donation, the question regarding the Town Farm proposal is essentially whether to have 30 acres set aside for the town's use, with funds to offset upcoming municipal infrastructure needs, or to preserve the full 32.5 acres while taking on "another half million dollars in debt" for town buildings.
The town's municipal building needs continue to be reviewed for the newly-acquired Coventry Hall property in York Village as well as other potential locations. As Town Manager Rob Yandow told the board, the Municipal Building Committee is interested in overseeing the police facility project once the preliminary work now being done by the Portland-based design firm SMRT is complete.
The Portland firm is evaluating sites for that facility and narrowing the possibilities to "a workable number," he said.
Marshall said subdividing the 2.5 acres of Town Farm land and using it as house lots could help offset the tax burden of such needs, and would also remove the threat that the Ferncroft and Long Sands Road neighborhood has faced as various boards of selectmen past and present have considered options for the Town Farm property.
There have been a number of proposals over the years, the selectmen acknowledged, often meeting with concern and opposition from the abutters.
In the long term, Marshall said, such a move might be beneficial for the neighborhood as it would not change the character of what is currently there.
"I'm not sure where I fall on this," Selectmen Chairman Dwight Bardwell said. "I'd like to hear from the public."
Bardwell did say he is sure of one aspect of the ongoing discussion.
"I won't support any proposal that does not include a park," he said of future plans for the land in question.
"Everybody would like to see this enhanced into a real park," Selectman Torbert Macdonald, Jr., said, adding the "highest and best use" of the land would be a park with gardens.
Currently, a portion of the Town Farm property is home to the York Community Gardens.
Bardwell said he would be happy to go forward with the proposal as presented to a January public hearing to see what local residents have to say about the plan.
"I think we should push it forward," Selectman Michael Estes said of hosting a hearing on the subject, noting residents will then provide direction for further action.
During the public comment portion of Monday's meeting, local resident Ron Nowell said there is a lot of confusion at this time about the future of the Town Farm, noting it has been owned by the town since 1837.
"It's too valuable to be used for residential development," he said.
Nowell said subdividing the land into house lots would be in opposition to the proposal the town will submit to the Maine Legislature to amend the state's new growth law, Legislative Document 1535. The state law mandates more residential building permits be issued than the town's current growth ordinance allows. York is seeking an amendment from the state, pertaining to York alone, to allow the town to minimize the impact of LD 1535.
Later in the meeting, the selectmen approved the proposed amendment by a 4-1 vote, with Estes voting against it.
"It's doomed for failure at the state," he said. "Why would they put in legislation just for York? I think it's a waste of time to put I t in there."
His fellow selectmen disagreed, with Macdonald pointing out the state often constructs legislation aimed at specific communities or issues.
LD 1535 requires the town to issue at least 129 permits a year - up from the 84 permits currently allowed in York for market-rate residential housing - but the amendment, if accepted by the state, would drop that number to about 100.
