CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou city councilors quickly approved an ordinance to rezone the former Hilltop Elementary School property and several surrounding lots during a special meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018.
With the ordinance approved, eight lots along Paris Snow Drive and four along Marshall Avenue have changed from an R1 (or Residential One) classification to an R2. The primary difference is that an R1 category is for “mostly high density single family dwellings” while the R2 also accommodates “multi-family dwellings” while still containing single family residences.
The councilors also voted to change three lots along Washburn Street from Commercial 2 to Residential 2.
While the public hearing only lasted about one minute, City Manager Dennis Marker said he received one phone call from a concerned resident regarding the changes on Washburn Street. The individual thought the city was planning to change the zoning at 48 Washburn Street, but the city manager clarified that lot 48 and the address are at different locations and there were no other issues.
A group of local investors, operating under the company name Caribou Senior Living, LLC, plans to convert the former Hilltop Elementary School building into a senior living center and has already acquired the property from the city. To assist in their endeavor, Caribou councilors agreed to make the property a Tax Increment Financing district for 30 years, allowing the company to keep 95 percent of the property taxes they would have otherwise paid to the city as long as the savings are reinvested in the property. Appliances, equipment, and other materials in the building, however, will still be taxed.
