The Gorham Town Council could decide next week to halt access for newly constructed homes to 53 roads in town.dfgdfgdfg

A public hearing and a possible Town Council vote could come at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7, in the Gorham High School auditorium. The proposal drew criticism Tuesday from a developer and the chairman of the Planning Board.

A proposed amendment to the Land Use and Development code would require new roads or private ways to be built for frontage for new lots. Under the plan, newly created lots would be prohibited access to 15 arterials, 17 collectors and 21 rural sub collector roads. (Arterials are the primary and most heavily traveled roads and streets, and collectors are the roads connected to them that feed most of the traffic onto them.)

Susan Duchaine, a major developer in Gorham, said Tuesday the plan would strip away use of frontage that property owner’s have been paying taxes on. “Are they going to adjust taxes accordingly?” she asked.

Duchaine understood why the town might want to limit access onto roads like Route 25, which already have problems with traffic congestion. However, she didn’t see any need to limit access to rural roads, such as Finn Parker or Wood roads, two of the roads included on the list.

“Why do we want private ways all over town? It makes no sense to me,” she said.

Harold Grant, chairman of the Gorham Planning Board, said he was opposed the Town Council draft of the proposal. He said many people give land to their children, and this would make that more expensive in many cases.

“I feel strongly because it has an awful effect on some people,” said Grant. “People look at it as land for kids. You’re taking this land away,” he said of the proposal to restrict road access.

Grant said that the Planning Board favored a less stringent ordinance change that would have limited driveway access onto arterials. For new lots on other existing roads, the Planning Board would not require new interior roads except where subdivisions were proposed. Grant said the ordinance change being proposed would impact 75 percent of the roads in Gorham.

Kathleen Maurer of Barstow Road, which is considered one of the collector roads, said she is concerned that Gorham residents don’t know about the proposed change. She said the town should notify everyone who might be affected.

“I feel everyone should be aware,” she said.

The measure was first sent to the Planning Board by the town council’s ordinance committee following a residential growth study done two or three years ago for the Town Council. The ordinance change is aimed at eliminating future traffic problems caused by residential development along existing town roads.

“I don’t see the impact,” Duchaine said. “I don’t think it will have support of the council.”