A rendering shows the 208-unit Gendron Active Living Estates project between Farwell and Charles streets. The Planning Board approved the project Monday, with construction to occur in three phases. City of Lewiston

LEWISTON — Despite continuing neighborhood concern regarding traffic, a 208-unit housing project between Farwell and Charles streets will move forward after receiving Planning Board approval Monday.

The market-rate project, dubbed the Gendron Active Living Estates, is intended to be a community for those 55 years and older and featuring amenities like a clubhouse, dog parks and green space.

City officials and board members said the project provides a much-needed subset of market-rate housing in the city, and in an area that has been designated for housing growth. However, several neighbors said the existing traffic problems along Farwell Street are already “a nightmare” and they don’t feel the city is listening to their concerns.

The plan presented Monday also included an entrance to the development along Charles Street, which added to the public opposition. Mike Gotto, an engineer working on the project, said the developers tried to avoid the Charles Street access but they were limited by wetlands and other factors.

Several Charles Street residents state opposition to the project, including City Councilor Michael Roy, who urged Planning Board members to postpone a vote and to visit Farwell Street during peak traffic times. He said Charles Street is already “a speedway” and used as a cut-through.

“Good neighbors talk to their neighbors, and right now I don’t think that’s being done,” he said.

Prior to public comment, Public Works Director Kevin Gagne said a traffic assessment conducted last year, which was based on a full build-out of more than 400 units at the site, estimated 81 new trips during the evening peak hour. He said nearly all the recommendations in the study for intersection upgrades have either been completed or are planned to occur over the next two years.

State Rep. Kristen Cloutier who lives on Charles Street said she was “blown away” with what was presented Monday, “and not in a good way.”

She said that as a member of the Legislature she understands the need for more housing, but the current proposal will further impact the traffic issues along Farwell and Charles streets. She said there are young families with children, who walk or bike to and from school. She asked that the traffic be “reexamined.”

An engineer working on the Gendron Active Living Estates project in Lewiston said this rendering depicts the view from the backyard of 50 Charles St. once the 208-unit development is complete. The Planning Board on Monday discussed the plan to build a berm with landscaping to create a natural buffer instead of fencing. City of Lewiston

Cloutier also said she has heard from several residents lately that they feel they’re being ignored by City Hall and are either moving or considering it.

Throughout the process, city officials have said Lewiston needs more market-rate housing that adds to the tax base. The City Council approved a TIF for the project in July, which will return 75% of the new tax revenue to Gendron for the first five years, or until phase 2 is completed, whichever comes sooner. Gendron would then receive 65% of the revenue for the remainder of the 20-year agreement.

Lincoln Jeffers, director of economic and community development, said over the course of the TIF, the city will receive roughly $460,000 annually, and when the TIF expires, it will receive about $735,000 per year. The property generates $2,400 a year in taxes.

Jeffers said he’s been at most of the public meetings regarding the project and he believes Gendron has “listened and heard.” He said the scale of development is not what it could be under what the contract zoning allows, and they tried not to use Charles Street for access.

“Change is hard, no one likes to see it,” he said. “Everybody recognizes we need more housing, and it’s market-rate, which we don’t have enough of.”

The developer was also criticized for not entirely committing to a 55-plus development, with some stating that young families with children could add to an already overcrowded Farwell School.

Gotto said they are “absolutely committed to 55-plus,” but that they are unsure if they’ll be able to fill all 208 units with that age bracket. He said they will only rent to younger ages “if we need to.”

Board member Shanna Cox said despite the belief of some neighbors, she thinks what Gendron is proposing is looking to echo the surrounding neighborhood — age 55-plus apartments, amenities including a dog park and more. But she said “the truth is there is a larger design problem” with the surrounding neighborhood traffic patterns “ripping at the fabric of the neighborhood.”

She said there are active senior living communities in other places, but not Lewiston, and that almost all senior housing in Lewiston is subsidized. She said projects like this can work and provide needed tax revenue in order to fund further infrastructure upgrades that residents want to see.

The development will place nine, four-story buildings on the 11-acre lot. Four buildings will have 32 units, while five will have 16. All units will be a mix of one, and two-bedrooms.

The board voted 6-0 to approve, with member Alex Pine abstaining.

A rendering shows a view from the parking area at the Gendron Active Living Estates between Charles and Farwell streets in Lewiston, including green space between apartment buildings. City of Lewiston