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Vincent Maietta of KV Enterprises listens Monday at the Gorham Planning Board meeting while his representative Dan Riley of Sebago Technics airs details of proposed changes in the number of units they are seeking for the Robie Street housing development. (Robert Lowell/Staff Writer)

Developers outlined their plans for a 511-unit housing development on Robie Street in Gorham at a meeting Monday night.

The site originally received town support for 391 units, but the developer is seeking to raise the number to 511. Civil Engineer Dan Riley of Sebago Technics, representing KV Enterprises, said the expanded number of proposed units is well within town rules for what could be constructed on the 131-acre site.

The Planning Board discussed the proposal with Riley Monday but did not take any action.

Under a revised plan, the number of single-family homes would rise from 96 to 101 and 295 multifamily units jumps to 410. The plan shrinks a number of two-bedroom units to single-bedroom and studio apartments. The proposed number of multifamily buildings drops from 13 to seven.

Vincent Maietta of KV Enterprises said the revamped plan calls for five- and six-story buildings, mostly five. The zoning allows for up to 80-foot building heights.

The site is located in the urban residential and urban residential expansion zones behind the Village Elementary School on Robie Street. The subdivision is served by public water and sewer. Utilities are required to be underground.

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The project would be built in four phases, according to Assistant Town Planner Damon Yakovleff. Phase 1, with 44 single-family homes, is under construction now.

KV Enterprises will need permits for future phases from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Maine Department of Transportation. Increased traffic in the village has been one of the key objections for opponents of the project.

There is some potential discussion with the University of Southern Maine officials about providing student housing in the apartments.

The site lies within the state’s Narragansett Game Preserve and includes tributaries to the Indian Camp Brook that empties into the Stroudwater River. Fifty-one acres have been set aside as open space.

The developer will return to the Planning Board seeking preliminary approval that could come by December.

Bob Lowell is Gorham resident and a community reporter for Westbrook, Gorham and Buxton.

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