“I know they expanded the building since initial discussions and construction materials and labor have increased significantly,” Eric Cousens, Auburn’s director of planning and permitting, said this week. “They also have traffic-related improvements required that were not part of initial estimates, including signage and striping changes at the adjacent intersection. The latest cost also includes the site work that may have been left out earlier.”
Developer Danny Bouzianis with Auburn Marketplace said Wednesday that he’s building the space for four tenants on spec and doesn’t have leases lined up yet.
The one with the drive-thru could be for food or financial services, he said. “Drive-thrus have gotten popular with the pandemic.”
The city of Auburn has put seven city-owned properties up for sale, in the latest step of an aggressive new economic development strategy.
The property six lots and a historic church are downtown, in the New Auburn area and a nearby corridor. Both are spots the city said are highly desirable to developers.
The move comes after Auburn officials in November announced a new focus on economic development and restructured its city economic development department. In January, Mayor Jason Levesque also invited developers to build 2,000 market-rate homes in the city.
Levesque and other officials hope to send a message to developers that Auburn is ready to grow, a news release about the property listings this week said.
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AUBURN The City Council will consider allowing separate, “in-law” structures to be built on eligible parcels in all residential zones, the latest in a series of moves city officials have considered to encourage housing growth and rehabilitation projects in Auburn.
Following a workshop Monday, the majority of councilors appeared in favor of exploring the proposal, which will be forwarded to the Planning Board for a recommendation.
According to Eric Cousens, director of Planning and Permitting, the proposal is related to others that officials have been considering, aimed at infill development and addressing the need for more types of housing options in the city.
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AUBURN The City Council unanimously approved two measures Monday aimed at encouraging development and rehabilitation in downtown areas.
The zoning ordinance changes will expand a form-based code district known as Traditional Downtown Neighborhood to a swath of the downtown and New Auburn, from Riverside Drive to Ninth Street and parts of Broad and South Main streets.
Officials say the move better fits the character of the neighborhood and will make it easier for building owners to construct additions or renovate.
Form-based code, which is relatively new for Auburn, has been increasingly used nationwide as a way of regulating land development to achieve a specific urban form, and is seen as a way to curb urban sprawl and the deterioration of historic neighborhoods.