Auburn Planning Board Approves Contractor Site Plan, Moves to Revive 19-Year-Old Subdivision

AUBURN — May 26, 2026 — Auburn Planning Board conditionally approves contractor complex, kicks off revival of 19-year-old subdivision. The board unanimously approved a modified site plan for a two-building contractor facility at 282 Southbridge Street, conditioned on Zoning Board of Appeals approval of a parking waiver — the site proposes 25 spaces against a roughly 52-space requirement — and a prohibition on retail sales; engineer Zach Less of Existing Grade said light poles will be reduced from 20 to 15 feet with directional shielding to eliminate property-line light spillage measured at up to 21 foot-candles. The board also unanimously directed staff to engage Graves Engineering for a bond cost estimate on the Stoneville Estates subdivision at 88 Wallace Avenue, a nine-lot subdivision approved in 2007 that was never built; the property owner told the board he has paid close to $100,000 in property taxes over 19 years and has three prospective buyers waiting. Assistant Town Manager Paul Delacuilla presented four gaps between the 2007 plans and current DPW standards — including pavement thickness of three inches versus a current four-inch minimum and a detention basin sited on an easement rather than its own parcel — but the board agreed the 2010 deadline bylaw cannot apply retroactively, with the chair suggesting four-inch pavement could potentially be imposed as a condition rather than requiring a full redesign estimated at $60,000 to $70,000.