Concern, puzzlement, praise and hope were all aired Oct. 7 over a would-be 170-unit housing development on Route One, Wiscasset near Birch Point Road. Representatives of the potential project got the turnout they were hoping for in the public informational meeting as they work toward possible applications to the town and state, once local rules meet the state's new ones on housing density.

David Flynn of Old Bath Road voiced dread over the thought of even more traffic than that road already gets from people bypassing Route One. He said traffic is already a nightmare most of the year, and housing projects are happening in the Bath-Brunswick area.

"Is Route One, Wiscasset the right place to do (this), when we already have a major traffic problem nine months out of the year," Flynn asked. 

A positive and balanced approach will be taken to whatever a traffic analysis shows is needed there, architect Patrick Boothe of the Portland firm Woodhull said. "We shouldn't always have traffic prevent us from doing something that is necessary for the great issue" housing is, Boothe said. "So we'd work to mitigate that in a way that's responsible and still do housing, is what our hope would be."

One of Maine Department of Transportation's goals in the permitting process is to make sure a development doesn't add to a traffic problem, representives of the would-be project said. For 170 units, they doubted MaineDOT will issue a permit without requiring traffic changes. 

Flynn also questioned the need for a housing development that size in a town he said doesn't have an employer that calls for it. 

This development at 257 Bath Road (Route One) could change that, Economic Development Director Aaron Chrostowsky suggested. He said employers look for locales with enough housing for their workforce.

"This is not a low-income project," Chrostowsky said at the meeting's outset. "It is not meant for migrant housing, it's not elderly housing. This is an opportunity to bring new residents and families to the community, hopefully fill our schools (and) help support major employers like Bath Iron Works ... and (help) our local businesses attract and retain new employees. This is an opportunity to increase the tax base (and it) conforms to our comprehensive plan" that calls for promoting decent housing and orderly growth and development in appropriate parts of town, he said. The Route One site is in the town's growth district, he added.

The units would be rentals, mostly one or two-bedroom, the architects said. 

Cassaundra Rose, a selectman who was speaking only for herself, said entry-level housing is a critical need. She has met multiple young people who rented in Wiscasset and would have loved to stay but could not find the housing they were looking for; she also recalled one young couple who worked in Boothbay but were buying a home in Gardiner because there was nothing closer for them. The earth scientist also praised the would-be Route One development's early design for its attention to the wetlands and other nature. 

Some meeting-goers questioned why, so far, 172 parking spots were eyed for the 170 units. People wouldn't be able to have company, one woman observed.

Boothe and landscape architect Seth Kimball of Aceto Kimball in Portland emphasized everything so far is a vision, the parking and other aspects can be revised, and the feedback will help guide that. The development is pictured with a playground, a trail and commercial space, such as for a coffee shop or bakery, they said. The firms, which are doing this preliminary work for the site's owner, Maple Property Holdings, anticipate the trail would be open to the public.

One attendee complimented the look of the buildings and said the development's design works smartly with the land and is aesthetically pleasing. Another did not like the look and asked if there would be a tax-increment financing (TIF) deal. It hasn't been discussed, the architects said.

And Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kim Andersson said she hears "all the time" from employees and families that housing is a real challenge. "So this looks really welcome to the community. Thank you."

Rose and Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Rob Lalli liked the prospect of more users on the sewer system. And Lalli was enthused for one more reason. He expects the property will be nicer to drive by. "I just want to say, thank you so much, because I think that property over there is ... just a dumpy piece of land. And I'm so thrilled that something great can come from that, and it could benefit the public."

On a question from Ed Polewarczyk, town officials said ordinance changes in connection with the new state rules did not make the Nov. 3 ballot. That ordinance work continues, they said. The new rules would have to be in place before an application is submitted on the project, Boothe has said.