Board: Auburn City Council

Met: Monday night

Habitat for sale?

Issue: Housing volunteer group Habitat for Humanity had hoped to build a single-family home next spring at 133 Hampshire St., a city-owned 0.11 acre parcel near Pettengill Park. Neighbor Joanne Luizzo, of 131 Hampshire St., said Monday that her family uses and maintains that property currently and the city should sell it to her instead.

The scoop: Luizzo said she learned about the sale last month after reading about it in the newspaper. The city took over the property six years ago to demolish a burned-out house there when the owner could not afford that work. Its assessed valuation is $20,100, and Luizzo said she was unwilling to pay that much. But she said she’s happy to pay more than Habitat for Humanity, which was hoping to pay $3,000 for the land.

City Manager Glenn Aho said that the land had not been put out to bid after the housing charity offered to purchase it. If councilors turned down the charity’s offer, the lot would go out for a formal bid and would be expected to bring in a much higher price, closer to its assessed value.

Up next: Saying it was unfair not to give neighbors a chance to bid on the lot, councilors agreed to table Habitat for Humanity’s request for a minimum of 30 days.

Sprinklers

Issue: The city has required some buildings to have automatic fire sprinklers since 1982, but city councilors said that unfairly punishes developers hoping to build on lots that are far away from city water lines.

The scoop: Currently, only larger buildings must have automatic sprinklers. Those include buildings with three or more stories, those 40-feet-tall or taller, those with 200,000 cubic feet of volume or two-story buildings with five dwelling units or more.

Councilor Dan Herrick said the rule duplicates state building and fire codes where it pertains to dwelling units and multi-story buildings. His issue is with large warehouse structures, and he and three other councilors recommended scrapping that part of the rule.

Up next: City Manager Glenn Aho said he’ll bring the matter back to councilors later on.

Junkyard permits

Issue: City ordinances tightly regulate the way property owners are allowed to keep junk and bulky waste. The city reviews each registered junkyard annually, making sure they meet state and federal environmental standards and keep the area screened from neighbors

The scoop: Councilors approved permits for six automobile graveyards or junkyards; M&P Auto Inc., 227 Merrow Road; Buck’s Auto, 249 Merrow Road; Morris Auto Parts, 940 Washington St.; Isadore T. Miller Co., 522 Washington St.; Maine Metal Recycling, 522 Washington St.; and Randy’s Auto Parts, Inc. 899 Broad St.

Contact government reporter Scott Taylor via phone at 689-2846 or via e-mail at [email protected]