The months-long community discussion centering on a development boom and its impact on Westbrook will have an official outlet next week.

A workshop bringing together the City Council, School Committee and Planning Board – organized by city officials following public pushback over large-scale development proposals – is Monday, Aug. 22, at 6:30 p.m., at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center.

The meeting is intended to provide “information, input and direction,” according to City Administrator Jerre Bryant.

The uproar was sparked by a proposed Phase 2 of Blue Spruce Farm, between Spring and Saco streets, which calls for an additional 303 units of mostly market-rate apartments. Developer Risbara Bros. is constructing Phase 1, featuring nearly 200 units of apartments and single-family homes.

Local developer Tim Ly has also come forward with a proposal for a 96-unit condominium project on rural Austin Street, which was met with criticism from both the public and Planning Board members earlier this month. Ly has said he still intends to develop the property in some fashion.

Bryant said the outcome Monday will not include any final decisions from the council, but will give city administration guidance as to what measures officials would like to consider.

Many in the community have called for a 180-day moratorium on residential developments of more than 10 units, and a petition circulated by residents had received more than 100 signatures. According to resident Flynn Ross, however, due to using electronic signatures the petition was deemed unofficial, and an official petition vetted by a lawyer will begin circulation at Monday’s meeting.

A loose agenda has been drafted for the meeting, most of which is aimed at providing clarification for officials and the public on the city’s planning regulations and planning review process. Then, Bryant said, the discussion will go into specifics on the Blue Spruce Farm project, what has been proposed and what the next steps are.

Bryant said the council may want to consider development impact fees for school facilities or a moratorium, but he also said he may be laying out a potential measure using a tax increment financing structure that can bring results similar to an impact fee.

Ross, who has been a vocal opponent of the Blue Spruce Farm project and a unofficial leader of a group of neighbors hoping to slow the pace of development, said Tuesday she’s hoping there is considerable “education and clarification” on several topics Monday.

She said these include clarification on the city’s code regarding special exceptions for multi-family units, legal counsel on impact fees, and the process for studying and the results so far of the impact of large scale rental development “on all the aspects of life in Westbrook.”

Another member of the group, called Westbrook Citizens for Sustainable Growth, Kathleen O’Neill-Lussier, said Wednesday that she’d like the city to relook at its zoning and provide for strigent guidelines for certain areas.

“There is definitely a need for housing in Westbrook and there are many different ways to accomplish that goal without major disruption to an entire section of the city and an already overburdened school system,” she said.

City officials scheduled to speak Monday include Bryant, Mayor Colleen Hilton, City Planner Jennie Franceschi and City Engineer Eric Dudley. Rocco Risbara of Risbara Bros. is also slated to speak on Blue Spruce Farm.

Risbara said Tuesday that the project puts growth where the city’s zoning planned it to be, adding the development is “a housing type that is very efficient to operate, and has almost no burden on the city due to its low numbers of children to be educated and lack of need for services.”

A recent study by Portland consultant Planning Decisions predicts between nine and 23 school-aged children would come from Phase 2, based on the high number of one and two-bedroom apartments proposed.

A CLOSER LOOK

A joint workshop hosted by the Westbrook City Council will discuss citywide growth and development on Monday, Aug. 22, at 6:30 p.m., at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center at Westbrook Middle School. The agenda is as follows:

An aerial photo shows construction at Blue Spruce Farm off Spring Street in July. A proposed Phase 2 of the project has been met with criticism from residents, and calls for a development moratorium in Westbrook.