BRUNSWICK

Sixteen acres of open space, playgrounds and walking trails formerly owned by the U.S. Navy in the McKeen Street neighborhood now belong to the town.

Town councilors earlier this month considered acceptance of nine acres from Affordable Maine Housing LLC, which bought the property from the Navy when the former base was decommissioned. Auburn developer George Schott currently is rehabilitating dozens of former military housing units in the neighborhood.

Now calling the development

McKeen Street Landing, Affordable Maine Housing offered it to the town and pledged almost $100,000 for repairs. In exchange, the town’s Parks and Recreation Department is to take over its long-term maintenance.

An additional seven acres of wooded area were attached to the plan, according to Scott Howard of Affordable Maine Housing, to connect the housing and recreational parcels. No additional maintenance is required, he said.

“It’s an excellent way of integrating this neighborhood into the rest of the town,” said David Gleason, real estate agent for Coldwell Banker, Affordable Maine Housing’s listing broker.

Gleason, a former town councilor, said 17 houses have been sold; 10 more are under contract pending the town’s acceptance of the property.

Councilors unanimously authorized the eventual exchange of the 28 Federal St. town office building for the new police station building, currently under construction at the intersection of Pleasant and Stanwood streets.

Councilors had to approve the future swap so Brunswick Development Corporation, which bought the land for the town in trade for the existing town office, could transfer ownership of the Stanwood site to the town.

Work on the new police station has been delayed since September, when tests determined the site’s sand and soil would not support the building as originally designed.

The solution, Brown said, is an 18-inch-thick “mat slab” foundation that will run the entire perimeter of the building instead of using traditional concrete footings.

Mat slab foundations allow for a limited amount of soil movement and flexion.

The design change will eat into the project’s contingency fund, Brown said, but not enough to stall construction.

A meeting between the architect and contractor is scheduled for later today. Town representatives will provide an update during the council’s next meeting.

A pair of public hearings are scheduled for the Nov. 5 meeting.

One hearing seeks public comment on zoning amendments proposed for Brunswick Landing by Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority.

MRRA officials said the changes, which permit interim use of some existing buildings, will make it easier to attract tenants to the fledgling residential and industrial park.

The second hearing will address spending $174,500 to pay for Phase Two of the school department’s Facilities Master Plan.

jtleonard@timesrecord.com