AUBURN — The City Council was asked Monday to consider a series of controversial amendments to Auburn’s agricultural zone, but the heavily attended workshop raised more questions about how officials should move forward.

At the center of the issue is whether the City Council will quickly take up the proposed zoning amendments, or whether officials will wait for an agricultural advisory board to be formed to take a first crack at changes intended to modernize the zone.

The subject of loosening development restrictions in the large zone has divided Auburn officials and residents for years, and has continued as Mayor Jason Levesque has led the recent effort to modernize the regulations.

The lengthy City Council workshop Monday featured a presentation led by Levesque, with an overview of the history of the zone, data on the current uses of the land, and the proposed amendments.

Since the 1960s, zoning laws have stipulated that in order to build a new home in the zone, a property owner must own at least 10 acres and earn 50 percent of household income from agriculture or forestry, a threshold that is difficult to meet. While most agree these rules should be changed, officials and residents are split on how.

Following the work of an ad hoc committee and initial discussions by the council, a draft ordinance was forwarded in February to the Planning Board and Conservation Commission for review.

Following the reviews, both boards recommended that any amendments to the zone should wait until a new advisory board is in place.

Some councilors agreed Monday, including Holly Lasagna, who served on Levesque’s previous ad hoc committee. She said the workshop Monday provided a good foundation of data, and will be able to inform the decisions of the incoming committee.

While Levesque has previously stated his opinions on the proposed changes, when asked Monday he told councilors he was merely providing data in order for the council to make “informed decisions.”

Later, when asked about the timeline of voting on the changes, Levesque said he believes “it’s time after two-plus years of discussions, for the council to be the policy-making board they are” and “sit together and come up with a compromise.”

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Levesque said he planned to call a special meeting next Monday for the council to further discuss the zoning amendments.

“How many committees do we need? You have the legacy knowledge that no other council has had before you,” Levesque said.

Also playing a role in the discussions is a Bates College survey of landowners, which was previously criticized by Levesque, who said the results would not be used by officials or staff because of an improper process. Despite that, several officials and residents said Monday that they’d like to see the results from the survey before any decisions are made.

Councilor Belinda Gerry said she’d rather see the Bates survey results than data that’s been provided by the city up to this point.

“As hard as you’ve worked, they’ve fallen short,” she said. “Bates reached more property owners and may have a better handle on what’s going on. I don’t want to have it blown off.”

According to the workshop presentation, Levesque’s proposed changes are meant to encourage accessory dwellings for existing farms and/or lots in the zone, not for “McMansions,” he said.

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The “50 percent income” rule would be replaced by ensuring landowners meet at least two of five set criteria.

He said the rules would maintain the 10-acre minimum lot size, and create a provision to grandfather existing lots between 3 to 10 acres that were in place prior to Jan. 1, 2018. Levesque said under that provision, the rules would apply to 10 developable parcels in the zone.

“We’re wasting lots and lots of time for 10 lots,” said resident Joe Gray during a later public comment period.

As part of the Conservation Commission’s recommendations, Chairwoman Jordan Tate said the board supported the Bates College survey effort in order to find out how many landowners in the zone would benefit from the proposed changes.

The presentation Monday gave numbers on farming trends in Maine, and that changes to the zone are intended to encourage the growth of younger, smaller farms.

According to the city, farmers under the age of 34 in Maine rose from 396 in 2007 to 551 in 2012. Levesque said recent trends show more smaller farm operations, including 140 farms under 10 acres in Androscoggin County.

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The city’s Agriculture and Resource Protection zone makes up some 40 percent of the city’s land, but only roughly 10 percent of the zone is currently cropland. Some 70 percent is forested.

A final list of “concerns to be addressed” includes tax increases, the increase in non-farm dwellings, and the potential for increased farm runoff in Lake Auburn. A list of benefits included more farms, more new families, an increased tax base, and lower overall city taxes.

Following the presentation, some members of the public took issue with the list.

One resident of the zone, who said she runs a small farm operation, said the claim that the changes will help new, small farm startups is not true.

She believes higher taxes on her land will force her out.


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