Although rumors had been circulating in the community, Gorham residents were caught by surprise on Monday, Aug. 18, when they heard the Gorham Town Council would be voting to sell land in the Industrial Park to Amazon at a special meeting the following day.
On Aug. 19, the Town Council voted (5-2, Simms, Siegel) to enter into a sales contract with Amazon for 94 acres on Main Street for $4 million. The land, east of Shamrock Drive, is part of 141 acres Gorham voters had authorized the town to buy for industrial development in 2019. That authorization gave the town manager authority to sell parcels in the former cow pasture with the approval of the Town Council.
Despite the late announcement, the Council was not required to give advance notice of the sale or hold a public hearing before voting to approve the contract. According to David Willis, a counselor who is also a local realtor, the conversations about the sale had been held in executive session “not to exclude the public, but to protect the Town’s bargaining position throughout the process. This approach is standard practice,” he said, “whenever the Town considers the sale of property, regardless of the size or value.”
According to Tom Poirier, director of community development, having a contract does not mean that Amazon is definitely going to buy the land. Either party can back out of the sale. There will be numerous opportunities for public input because the Planning Board will have to hold many hearings before approving site plans. Land use issues will need to be resolved and there are real traffic concerns. The permitting process would include receiving approvals from the Department of Environmental Protection and probably the Maine Department of Transportation. Residents will have an opportunity to express their opinions throughout the process which could take several years.
Although Amazon has not indicated what type of facility they are proposing, the contract states that they “contemplated use as a warehouse and delivery facility.”
Before the vote, counselors gave their reasons for supporting or opposing the contract. Chair Suzanne Phillips, the only member who was on the council in 2019, voted to approve, saying the town “had been trying to sell the property for years, but that other potential buyers had dropped out. If the requirements are too strict for Amazon, they could drop out too.”
Lou Simms opposed the contract because he believes that attracting small businesses is better for Gorham. He felt that the public needed to have more input, and he wanted to wait for a cost/benefit analysis before agreeing to this sale.
Robert Lavoie emphasized that the industrial park was created to increase tax revenue. It is estimated that Amazon would pay around $250,000 in yearly taxes, equal to that of 42 single-family homes with an annual tax rate of $6,000.
Seven Siegel, who voted no, said this was the hardest decision he has ever made, but he was glad the contract does not include tax breaks for Amazon. However, he said, “This is what an industrial park is for. This is not the end of the conversation, just the start of the discussion.”
This is an issue that will continue to generate complex, conflicted responses from Gorham residents. The immediate response of one woman who lives near the site was to question the sale, but then she realized she had placed two orders with Amazon that very day.
Counselor Willis told the Gorham Times, “every voice in our community matters and deserves to be heard.” The signing of this agreement “marks the beginning of a due diligence process during which public input will play a vital role.”