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Plans are evolving for a new student housing compound in Orono. During June 2008, the Orono Planning Board reviewed Campus Crest Construction LLC’s initial plans for a 22-acre gated community off Park Street.
The project, called “The Grove,” includes 10 apartment buildings and six townhouse-style complexes. It would house 528 residents and include a clubhouse, fitness center and pool. The Grove at Orono would be part of a nationwide network of communities, all with the motto “fully loaded college living.”
The proposed development site is half a mile from Orchard Trails and the University of Maine. It is next to the Orono Land Trust’s Marsh Island Preserve.
The 55-acre preserve, located next to the Penobscot River, is part of a large swath of open space along the southwestern side of Marsh Island. This space encloses an extensive trail system.
The Land Trust maintains these trails. Its goals, as stated on its Web site, are to “encourage the presence of trails and open spaces in the Orono area.”
According to Sally Jacobs, chair of the Lands Committee for the Trust, the trust is “working hard with [Campus Crest]” to fulfill these aims.
The trust will acquire 20 acres of woods if it allows Campus Crest to develop a road through a corner of the preserve. Jacobs stated that this deal will “not compromise the trail system.”
“[The trust will] end up with more land and more preserved trails. The Orono Land Trust is seeking trail connectivity and to maintain the original trail system in a large, unbroken box,” Jacobs said.
Danny Williams is the co-owner of Hubbard Farms Condominiums in Orono. Hubbard Farms would be a close neighbor of the proposed development. He stressed the spirit of cooperation between the Condo Association and Campus Crest.
“Condo Association members and Campus Crest have been engaged in very productive dialogue about the development,” Williams said.
The Campus Crest’s new road would increase traffic through the Hubbard Farms neighborhood. According to Williams, this was “a little bit of a concern.”
“If [the development] goes in as currently proposed, some members will have heartburn,” Williams said.
Williams also said, “With some modifications, it can be a win-win situation: a win for our neighborhood, a win for the Orono Land Trust and a win for the Town of Orono.”
Williams could not specify exact changes due to the sensitivity of ongoing negotiations.
Not all Orono residents support Campus Crest’s proposal. Rita Weatherby lives on a lot abutting the proposed development. When asked how she feels about The Grove development, she said she was “upset.” She referred to The Grove as “a college dorm” and said “the university should put their dorms on their own property.”
Further alterations to The Grove’s site plan will be up for review at the next planning board meeting. Changes may include a land swap between the Orono Land Trust and Campus Crest. Shannon King, president of Campus Crest Real Estate Management, said the swap was a concerted effort between the trust and Campus Crest.
“The Land Trust and Campus Crest are committed to the project being located in a place that provides the best land use for both the town and the project,” King said.
Details on the swap will be available at the Feb. 25 Planning Board meeting.
