By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

AUBURN – A new Great Falls Plaza office building and a parking garage will swap places, according to plan going before city councilors next week.

Developer Tom Platz will ask councilors to give up about 61,000 square feet of land north and west of the Auburn Esplanade for about 31,000 square feet at the corner of Center Street and Great Falls Plaza.

“The deal may sound lopsided, but we are giving up a more valuable piece of land,” Platz said. “That’s a piece of land with frontage right on Center Street as well as Great Falls Plaza. It’s much more visible. If we could have made it work, we would have.”

If they agree, councilors will put their parking garage on the corner and Platz will move his planned office building farther to the back. The original site plan for the area called for putting Platz’ new office building on the corner and the city’s parking garage behind the Esplanade.

He presented the change to councilors Monday during a workshop meeting. City Manager Pat Finnigan said councilors would see the issue on next week’s regular meeting agenda.

Platz said he plans to break ground on his office building in August no matter what councilors decide.

“Right now, almost more important than what you decide is that you decide,” Platz said. “I have clients ready to go, ready to move in. A quick decision is what we’re after.”

Bangor Savings Bank has already committed to take the first 5,000 square feet of the new building, moving in 50 employees as soon as it opens.

Platz said he expects the city’s $5 million parking garage will break ground next spring.

Councilors Monday sounded willing to give Platz what he wanted. Mayor Norm Guay said it was a positive step for the redevelopment of Great Falls Plaza.

“It’s much more convenient for the people that work downtown,” Guay said. If councilors approve, the new garage will be across Great Falls Plaza from Platz’ current building and across Center Street from the Auburn YMCA. It’s also closer to the Hilton Garden Inn.

“It makes much more sense to do it this way,” Councilor Bethel Shields said.

Councilor Bob Mennealy agreed that moving the garage within the site made sense, but said he still had reservations about the project. He asked city staff to see if the $5 million bond package councilors approved last March is still valid if the garage were moved.

“I still have a problem with developing a parking garage for a private developer,” Mennealy said.