BIDDEFORD — A residential property on Alfred Street will be rezoned to allow for the development of a commercial business near the busy Five Points intersection.

In a 6-2 vote, the Biddeford City Council on Tuesday voted to rezone the property at 360 Alfred St. from R1-A residential to a B-2 business zone, allowing for the construction of a retail establishment on the property.

The property was purchased by father-son developers Bill and Patrick Donahue, of Five Star Holdings, LLC, as part of the larger development of a Starbucks coffee shop at the site of the former D’Angelo sandwich shop at the intersection of Alfred Street (Route 111) and Elm Street (U.S. Route 1). 

The Donahues submitted plans to to the city to construct the coffee shop at 352 Alfred St. in late September and hosted a neighborhood meeting with residents near the property in October.

In addition to the two Alfred Street properties, the developers also purchased an abutting residential property at 4 Summit St., also an R1-A residential property, which would have served as parking for the development.

The developers originally asked to rezone both properties to B-2 business zones, but residents in a heated public forum last month voiced their concerns about the zoning change. They said traffic on Summit Street is on the rise as motorists have begun cutting through the neighborhood to avoid the Five Points intersection.

At that public hearing, Suzanne Bourque, who lives at 6 Summit St., said her property values would decrease as a result of the development, which would see an entrance and exit to the commercial properties onto Summit Street next to her house.

Following that public hearing, the Planning Board moved to rezone 360 Alfred St. but not 4 Summit St., eliminating the entryway at that point. The City Council voted to uphold that motion on Tuesday, following additional public comment.

Bourque, told the council that after the Planning Board’s decision last month she had come to support the rezoning of 360 Alfred St. for commercial purposes.

“I can speak for myself and my husband that we are in for support of the zone change for the first property on 360 Alfred St.,” she said. “It seems to be a logical decision since it’s on Alfred Street for him to have a commercial property as a B-2 zone.”

Some councilors, however, expressed concern about traffic. City documents originally said the 360 Alfred St. property may become a financial institution, but Project Manager Bill Thompson said Tuesday the developers are still seeking an applicant for the space at 360 Alfred St.

Councilor Michael Ready voiced his discontent with the rezoning, saying the tiny neighborhood is highly congested with traffic as it is and, depending on what business will come to occupy the property, there is the potential for traffic to become worse.

“We don’t know exactly what’s going to be there. While (Donahue is) correct there’s no exit onto that property at Summit Street, I don’t believe that means there won’t be additional traffic into there,” Ready said. “It’s a very, very busy area. We know how people maneuver around to avoid that traffic circle.”

Ready said he believes people will exit the development onto Alfred Street, where they will then turn right onto Summit Street and use the smaller roads of the neighborhood to cut back to Elm Street, thus avoiding the busy intersection.

“My concern isn’t geared toward (the developers),” Ready continued. “It’s geared toward how folks are actually going to use the exit. None of those streets can handle any more traffic.”

Other councilors said they believe the project will be a good addition to Biddeford and, given the Donahues’ work in other city developments, the property should be rezoned.

“I believe this is a good quality project and I fully support the efforts the Donahues have put forth with the neighborhood,” said Councilor Bob Mills. “They really bend over backwards to deal with the community.”

Councilor John McCurry agreed, saying the council should vote to rezone the Alfred Street property. Otherwise, he said, no business would want to move to the already-purchased property for reasons of liability.

“The Planning Board in a 3-0 vote recommended that we pass this. If it doesn’t get rezoned, they won’t be able to find a business,” McCurry said. “So I’m going to support this project.”

Ultimately the council passed the motion 6-2, with Councilors Ready and Laura Seaver dissenting. Councilor Marc Lessard was excused.

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.