LEWISTON — The city is finalizing new building design standards for downtown Lewiston, and will host a workshop with the Planning Board on Monday.

According to City Planner Doug Greene, the 5:30 p.m. workshop will allow residents to give final input on the Design Lewiston initiative, which will adopt new design guidelines and a zoning ordinance update.

An advisory committee has been working with staff and consultant, Stantec, since April and Greene said the committee is getting close to finalizing the plan.

“It’s a big step forward in establishing design standards and guidelines for downtown Lewiston and its commercial corridors and will help shape and improve the future appearance of development,” he said in a recent email.

The effort is based on recommendations from the Legacy Lewiston Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2017, which urges updated design standards for new construction and development of vacant or underused parcels. The city used money set aside for implementation to pay the consultant.

According to Greene, the updated design regulations will be more easily understood, ensure cost-effective projects for developers, and create predictability for property owners.

A city description of the project goals states, “Improve the appearance of new development throughout the city; preserve Lewiston’s heritage; encourage infill development in Lewiston’s historic core; and foster a safe and pleasurable environment that encourages pedestrian activity.”

In May, Greene said when the Planning Board has to review a development proposal, they have “virtually nothing” that dictates design features or how a building should look.

“There’s not a lot of actual requirements in terms of design for Lewiston,” he said.

Lincoln Jeffers, director of Economic and Community Development, previously said that similar standards were drafted but ultimately not acted on by the City Council due to concern that “too heavy a hand might discourage new investment.”

Following the joint workshop Monday, Greene will present the Design Lewiston project to the City Council on Nov. 12, followed by a final presentation and adoption by the Planning Board on Nov. 25.

The City Council will vote to approve the updated language in December.

AVESTA PROJECT

Also on Monday, the Planning Board will conduct a development review for a proposed 35-unit multifamily development on Blake and Pine streets.

The Avesta Housing project, designed by Platz Associates, was the subject of a contract rezoning in April, which shifted the two vacant parcels from downtown residential to centreville, which allows for greater density.

The site has been vacant since a fire destroyed the buildings in 2013.

The $7.4 million project is proposed to be four stories, with a mix of affordable and market-rate units and a lower-level parking area.

According to the Planning Board memo, the project would include seven market-rate units, and 28 income-restricted to renters at 50% and 60% of the area’s median income. It will consist of 15 one-bedroom units, 14 two-bedroom units, and six three-bedroom units.

In June, an effort to overturn the rezoning of the property failed to garner enough petition signatures to appear on the November ballot. Opponents of the project argued against the city’s use of tax dollars for the project, and its potential impact on the school system.

During the first reading in late March, a large majority of the public comment was in favor of the project. Proponents told officials that 35 new units are sorely needed in a neighborhood still struggling with substandard housing, lead poisoning and low vacancy rates.

The regular meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

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