Lewiston Planning Board approves Bates fitness center, mosque parking expansion

The Lewiston Planning Board approved a new fitness and well-being center for Bates College and a parking lot expansion for the Masjid Salam Mosque, both of which drew significant public comment. The board also began reviewing an amendment to a mixed-use residential development at 55 Middle Street, discussing design changes and waiver requests.

Key points

• The board voted 7-0 to approve the Bates College application for a 14,350-square-foot fitness center connecting the Gray Cage and Alumni Gym.
• The board voted 6-1 to approve the Masjid Salam Mosque's request to expand its parking lot at 240 Bartlett Street and increase building occupancy to 192 people.
• Abutter Dennis Theriault voted against the mosque expansion, citing life safety concerns, adverse neighborhood impacts, and discrepancies in submitted site plans.
• Public commenters expressed frustration over traffic and parking issues on Bartlett Street, with one business owner reporting lost revenue due to blocked access.
• The board began its review of an amendment for a six-story mixed-use building at 55 Middle Street, which includes 152 residential units and seven waiver requests.

Next steps

• Staff to follow up internally on coordinating conflict resolution across multiple city departments regarding abutter complaints.
• The applicant for the 55 Middle Street project must provide a final agreement for parking at the adjacent garage.
• The Complete Streets Committee is expected to hold a second meeting in April to further review the proposed Lowell Street redesign.

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