BRUNSWICK — A pharmacy and two new medical office buildings are slated for Brunswick Landing.

The Planning Board approved a mixed-use commercial development sketch plan Feb. 28 for Priority Real Estate Group of Topsham to develop three buildings on a 5-acre parcel off Bath Road and Admiral Fitch Avenue.

Planning Board member Richard Burgess recused himself from discussion because the financial company he works for may fund the project. Board member Jeremy Evans was absent.

The orientation of the proposed buildings – 10,000-square-foot and 15,000-square-foot medical offices, and a 4,000-square-foot pharmacy building – was approved in a common development plan by the Planning Board in 2014.

The site’s primary entrance will be off Admiral Fitch Avenue, with secondary access points off Allagash Drive.

Project consultant Curt Neufeld said the project makes few changes to the approved plan.

Explaining that medical offices require more parking than other kinds of office development, Neufeld called attention to plans for increasing the number of parking spaces to 231 spots, up from the originally approved 195.

The “hot-top heavy” plans concerned Vice Chairwoman Margaret Wilson, who said the extra parking is unwarranted, especially if the applicants have not found tenants.

“I would be reluctant to justify a lot of extra parking if that’s just speculative,” she said.

“If we don’t need it all, we won’t use it,” Jim Howard, president of Priority Real Estate Group, replied, adding the spaces would be replaced with vegetation.

Howard said he has already found tenants for the two medical offices, but not yet for the smaller pharmacy building. He declined to identify the tenants.

Brunswick’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee reviewed the sketch plan Feb. 3 and will continue working with the applicants on pedestrian access from the surrounding roads, Neufeld said.

In a sketch plan review, applicants must show that their plans meet the dimensional standards of the zoning; they will present their specific design plans for the proposed developments at a later review.

In addition the planned medical complex, Priority Real Estate Group has developed eight other properties at Brunswick Landing – most recently, a Rusty Lantern Market convenience store at 146 Bath Road.

Callie Ferguson can be reached at 781-3661, ext. 100, or cferguson@theforecaster.net. Follow Callie on Twitter: @calliecferguson.

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