The Auburn Planning Board held a meeting Jan. 3 in which residents of East Auburn presented a petition against further development of their neighborhood.

Other Auburn neighborhoods with other residents have submitted other petitions and concerns about Auburn’s radical zoning changes — all to no avail.

The Planning Board suggested a survey of East Auburn residents to ascertain how much change they would tolerate.

I propose rather than wasting time and money on another bogus survey with questions like “would you rather have a pizza joint or a meat packing plant next to your house,” we, the taxpayers, submit a survey to the Planning Board with the following questions:

1. Can its members define “form-based” zoning in one sentence without the aid of pictures of anonymous people having picnics?

2. Do they define their job on the Planning Board as a judge and analyst of projects, or do they feel they can do what they want with four votes?

3. Do they feel it is better to inform neighbors before a project has been completed, or after?

4. Can they gain financially from a proposed project, or are they a Realtor, ever been a Realtor, or want to be a Realtor?

5. Are they a developer, or do they aspire to be a developer?

6. Are they willing to work overtime to discuss Auburn projects at a local bar over a few beers?

The taxpaying/homeowners look forward to their answers.

Pamela Larouche, Auburn

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