LEWISTON – The city will take a forced break from downtown development for the next three months, councilors decided Tuesday.

Councilors enacted a 90-day moratorium on new development from the Androscoggin River east to Kennedy Park and from Adams Avenue north to Central Maine Medical Center.

The moratorium seeks to halt a broad range of development projects, from boarding houses to gas stations, building contractors’ offices, medical clinics, newspapers, churches and warehouses.

It does not prohibit hotels. Councilor Tom Peters said that was left out to encourage progress on a proposed 120-room hotel on Main Street.

“And I’m sure that if developers have other ideas they’d like to see happen down there, all they have to do is talk to us,” Peters said. “We’d be willing to listen.

Councilors face a host of decisions about development in that area: the hotel, parking garages, the massive Bates Mill building at Canal and Main streets and the rest of the Bates Mill complex.

The moratorium is in place to make sure the city doesn’t approve projects that do not fit the character of the area, Peters said.

“It’s just a shot for us to take a break for the entire area and plan very carefully,” he said.

Councilor Robert Reed said he didn’t think the moratorium made sense.

“Why should we have a moratorium on new business when we’re in the middle of an economic downturn?” Reed said. “I don’t get it. I think we need to encourage development down there.”

Peters said national economic issues are the reason the moratorium matters now.

“This way, when the downturn is over, we’ll be ready,” he said.

Councilors voted 5-1 to support the moratorium, with Reed the sole dissenter.