The lot at 4 Roosevelt Trail in Windham. Robert York, owner of the property, hopes to develop it into a business park for contracting services. Rory Sweeting/Community Reporter

Robert York, owner of York Enterprises, is proposing to redevelop a former excavation material storage yard on Roosevelt Trail as a contractor services business park with multiple units available for lease and ownership.

The proposal includes the construction of two 7,100-square-foot buildings at 4 Roosevelt Trail, near Windham’s border with Westbrook, for a total of 14 units, that would be leased by plumbers, carpenters and electricians. The proposal was scaled down from an initial three-building plan because, according to Windham Planning Director Stephen J. Puleo, York felt that he would not be able to rent out a full 21 units, and wanted to have a little more control over the situation.

Puleo said the property, which formerly served as an excavation site, was bought by York several years ago. Since then, he has been doing various improvements to the property, which ran afoul of modern zoning regulations due to the site predating them, and thus was grandfathered in as a “legal non-conforming use.”

The existing facility at 12 Roosevelt Trail, which is owned by York’s Octagon Cleaning and Restoration, will connect a driveway from the business to 4 Roosevelt Trail, allowing vehicles to enter from Vance Drive and cut through the 12 Roosevelt Trail property, as well as discharging water onto the 4 Roosevelt Trail property.

Development will also be shaped by the property’s location in the Highland Lake Watershed, which is designated as one of the lake’s most at risk from development by the state Department of Environmental Protection. Puleo said that it is Windham’s responsibility to make sure that the development is in compliance with Chapter 502, which regulates the use of at-risk lake watersheds, specifically in regards to stormwater management. Because of this, Puleo said the properties are being reviewed as a common scheme of development due to their shared stormwater management, meaning that there are elements between both properties that affect one or the other.

Regarding Windham’s need for such a business park, Puleo said there are a lot of people in Windham who work in contracting who might be looking for a garage to store their equipment and trucks.

Puleo also noted the site’s potential as a way to connect the municipalities of Windham and Westbrook, citing its location on the town line. He said that not only will the business park allow contractors and municipal vehicles to more easily travel across the region and turn around on Route 302, but it will also host a “gateway sign” for the town of Windham, welcoming travelers and thanking them for visiting.

According to Puleo, whenever Windham has a development that involves more than 5,000 square feet of commercial development, it has to go through the Planning Board’s site plan review process. Right now, he said, the site is at the beginning stage of the process, recently undergoing a sketch plan review from the Planning Board, and the board must make the permit decision before the developers can go to construction. When the applicant initiates the planning process, no further activity is to occur until all permits are in place, and all outside agencies have issued approvals.

“It’s a pretty intensive review process,” Puleo told Lakes Region Now. “We have basically 13 different reviewers that work for the town that have certain interests.”

In addition to the Planning Department, he said that Public Works will want to make sure the project fits within regulation around the right of way and public streets, and the Fire Department will ensure buildings have access and protection through sprinkling systems or a nearby fire hydrant. He also expects the town engineer to have comments regarding stormwater, access and lighting, among others.

During the review process, the town will hold a public hearing, where residents can express concerns. Once a decision is made on permitting, there will be a pre-construction meeting with staff, followed by a final inspection.

Puleo said that he expected the final review to come no later than early July. From there, his team will get the construction documents together and meet with the municipality to go through the pre-construction process. Construction is expected to start later in the summer, and Puleo predicted the site could be looking at occupancy as soon as April next year.