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The Gorham Planning Board could make a decision Monday night on the future of a proposed Amazon warehouse development that has divided the community.
Supporters said the project would create jobs and generate new tax revenue for the town. Opponents said it would forever change the character of the neighborhood surrounding the proposed site.
For Dana Burleigh, who has lived on Shamrock Road for nearly 20 years, the proposal has forced him and his wife to reconsider their future.
"It's just been a great street, and that's why it's so attractive to people," Burleigh said.
The couple said they always expected their home would be where they would retire.
"We've developed our property here, and it's a place we had planned on retiring until we were too old to keep it up," Burleigh said.
Now, with the proposed warehouse planned behind their backyard, they said that's no longer certain.
"We have already had discussions with ourselves and our neighbors about what our future is here," said Burleigh's wife, Bonnie Devau.
Those conversations come as the Planning Board prepares for its second public meeting to review the proposal. The planning board will have to approve the project, and Amazon still needs to obtain permits from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation before any construction begins.
"A lot of work has gone into looking at the project since we last got together with the planning board," project representative Tom Greeley said.
According to Amazon representatives, the proposal calls for a 146,000-square-foot delivery facility on a 94-acre parcel off Main Street. The facility would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with as many as 1,500 delivery truck trips each day.
Developers said the project would create approximately 170 local jobs, benefit businesses in the area, and also increase package delivery speeds for customers throughout Maine.
"The project is going to create jobs, create tax revenue, and we're buying land from the town," Greeley said. "This site has been identified for industrial and commercial development for over two decades."
But Burleigh and other nearby residents said those benefits don't outweigh their concerns.
"I'm not against development," Burleigh said. "This is just, in our opinion, the wrong type of business for this location."
Burleigh and other residents said they're worried about the increase in truck traffic through an area used daily by families and students.
"The drivers are on a mission everyday, and they're going to be flying through this town," Burleigh said.
Greeley argued the land is specifically zoned for industrial though, and said a majority of trips made by delivery vehicles will only be between the hours of 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
"Vehicle operations will not be happening at the same time as people are getting to their jobs or other places in the morning or when they're returning home at night," Greeley said. "And a lot of the time the building is pretty quiet and work stays internal."
Neighbors also raised concerns about potential light and noise pollution from a warehouse operating around the clock.
Greeley said the development team is making changes to address those concerns though, including lowering light poles and adding a 40-foot vegetated buffer around the property.
"We believe in being a good neighbor," Greeley said. "Ultimately, we have designed these buildings to minimize the impact to the surrounding community."
Burleigh said he hopes the planning board will consider what the project could mean for the people who already call the area home.
"It's making our lives difficult because this is where we thought we'd retire," he said.
The planning board meeting began at 7 p.m. It will start with an updated review of the project, followed by public comment. Board members will then decide whether to vote on the proposal or schedule another hearing.
This project is one of several Amazon facilities that have been proposed or already built within the last couple years in Maine. Caribou was the first city to welcome a warehouse, with Hermon and Sidney also being the location of two proposed sites.
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