Sanford economic official: Rejecting Walgreens

SANFORD — A local economic official is warning that rejecting a proposal to build a Walgreens pharmacy and a new credit union on Main, Winter and Acorn streets “will send a negative message to other developers.”Paul Levesque, the business development director of the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council, said Arista Development’s project should be given the benefit of the town’s planning process before anyone tries to stop it in its tracks. He said he sees the project as a “terrific opportunity” that does not contravene the town’s comprehensive plan as he understands it.Levesque is responding to a recent letter to the Sanford News, in which 10 members of Sanford Downtown Legacy voiced their opposition to Arista’s current proposal. The members stated their opinion that the developer’s proposal does not reflect the town’s comprehensive plan or the design review guidelines put forth by the planning board.”The Sanford downtown area is at a crossroads,” the letter said. “Should we continue efforts to recreate Sanford as a destination with its own character, or should we change course and allow more incompatible development like the Midtown Mall?”In an interview with the Sanford News, Maura Herlihy, the president of Sanford Downtown Legacy, said the project is “very suburban” in design and needs more of an urban touch. She stated that the current proposal would lead to the loss of homes and the deterioration of a neighborhood.Levesque said he disagrees with the notion that the project would create another Midtown Mall, a property on Main Street that he agrees needs rehabilitation.”No one wants to recreate that,” he said during an interview on Tuesday evening. “But this is different. Two strong businesses (Walgreens and York County Federal Credit Union) are going there.”Levesque also stated that he does not consider the proposed site for the project a “traditional part of the downtown.” He said he sees the area more as the outskirts of downtown, a site that “can best be described as a transition zone.”"The classic downtown streetscape — urban canyon, facades, et cetera — has never existed on that site,” he said in an e-mail to the Sanford News on Wednesday morning.Levesque made his comments as an economic official but emphasized he was not speaking for the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council.Arista Development LLC, of Norwood, Mass., is seeking to consolidate seven parcels in the area of Main, Winter and Acorn streets into two and lease one to Walgreens and the other to the credit union.Arista is proposing demolishing the current York County Teachers Federal Credit Union at 870 Main Street — a structure of 6,120 square feet — and building a new one that’s 3,000 square feet and offers three drive-through lanes. On the other parcel, Arista hopes to build a store of 14,250 square feet that would have a drive-through pharmacy window that Walgreens would use. The site also would have 59 parking spaces for customers and employees.In addition to the credit union, businesses at 866 Main Street, 864 Main Street and 1 Acorn Street would be affected, as would residences at 5, 7 and 9 Acorn Street. In a letter to Planning Director James Gulnac, Licensed Professional Engineer Curtis Neufeld stated that Arista has negotiated with all owners of the seven properties and has obtained purchase-and-sale agreements from each.To move forward with the project, Arista is proposing a Contract Zone that will allow the proposed retail use in the General Residence zone. The planning board will address this issue after it first determines whether the project is consistent with the town’s comprehensive plan. The board intends to discuss the matter at its meeting in December.A representative of Arista Development could not be reached for comment.Under the current plan, the credit union would be set closer to Main Street and would be approximately half its current size. The drive-through lanes would be located in the back of the building.Also under the proposal, Walgreens would be set farther back from Main Street and adjacent to Acorn Street. The parking lot would have trees and shrubbery. The store would be accessed from Winter and Acorn streets.According to Arista, the project would create approximately 100 construction jobs, 22 full-time jobs and 12 part-time jobs. Walgreens employees would be offered medical and dental plans, paid holidays and vacations. Average salaries at Walgreens range from $17,000 to more than $100,000. The project, when completed, would be expected to generate $64,000 a year in increased tax revenue for the town.Levesque said he has “nothing but praise” for Sanford Downtown Legacy, a nonprofit organization comprised of various representatives of the community and charged with overseeing the revitalization of downtown Sanford into a residential, commercial and cultural hub. He attended the organization’s annual meeting at the former CareLink site on Main Street on Tuesday evening.”Their objections are strong opinions from good citizens,” he said. “I just disagree.”Levesque said it would be better to “let the process take place.” Planning board members will first determine if the project is indeed in step with the town’s comprehensive plan — a plan Levesque said is not an ordinance but a set of guidelines with a “built-in ambiguity to allow for subjective determination.”In his e-mail on Wednesday morning, Levesque called it “premature” to reject Arista’s proposal. The town’s leaders should decide whether to approve the project through the contract zoning process, he wrote.”That’s the opportunity to be critical and negotiate,” Levesque said on Tuesday evening.