By RANDY SEAVER, Editor
Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain is proposing a temporary moratorium on all development projects at the University of New England’s Biddeford campus.
LaFountain is also scheduled to nominate UNE president James Hebert to serve on an ad-hoc committee that will focus on development at the school’s Biddeford campus.
During an interview with the Gazette on Thursday, LaFountain said a temporary moratorium will allow the city to examine and evaluate the rapidly increasing pace and scale of development within the Institutional Zone (IZ).
In December, the city council voted unanimously to create an ad-hoc committee that will review and make recommendations about current and future development on UNE’s campus.
RELATED: New committee will review UNE development plans
“I want that review committee able to hit the ground running,” LaFountain said, pointing out that the IZ has not been amended or updated for more than 20 years. “We need just a short pause in order to catch our breath. The current language is somewhat vague and needs to be updated.”
Recent projects have highlighted the need for the committee, LaFountain said, pointing to the university’s controversial pier project, plans to develop a fire substation near the campus and a plan to convert a former convalescent home into new dormitories for the university.
LaFountain said he believes that university development will continue to play an important role in the city’s future.
“The question before the council is not whether such development should occur, but whether it should proceed under a regulatory framework that has not been comprehensively examined in more than twenty years,” the mayor said.
The city needs the time necessary to complete that examination responsibly and to ensure that future decisions are guided by clear standards, shared expectations, and the long-term interests of the city as a whole, the mayor added.
During a previous city council meeting in December, Ed Cervone, director of external affairs at UNE, said the university is supportive of the city’s desire to review the Institutional Zone Ordinance and creation of the ad-hoc committee.
“UNE hopes that the creation of an Institutional Zone Review Committee can bring additional clarity to, understanding of, and confidence in the ordinance,” Cervone said.
During that December meeting, Cervone suggested that the new committee should include a Hills Beach Association representative; the city planner and Ward One Councilor Patricia Boston because of her historical knowledge about the Institutional Zone and a UNE representative.
LaFountain will ask the City Council Tuesday to confirm his appointments to the six-member ad-hoc committee, which will be chaired by Councilor Pat Boston, a Hills Beach resident; Matt Haas, a former UNE employee who first raised concerns about the Saco River Corridor Commission’s approval of the university’s controversial pier proposal; and residents Christine Stone and Betsy Martin.
LaFountain has also nominated Councilor Marc Lessard and James Hebert, UNE’s president, to serve on the committee.
Committee Objectives
In his memo to the city council, LaFountain said his proposed moratorium will accomplish several objectives, including:
• Orderly Review: It allows the Institutional Zone Review Committee, City staff, the Planning Board, and the City Council to complete their work without the pressure of pending applications advancing under rules that may soon change.
• Consistency and Fairness: It avoids applying one set of standards to some projects while others are reviewed under a revised framework, promoting predictability for applicants and the public alike.
• Public Confidence: It acknowledges heightened public interest in institutional development and demonstrates that the city is taking a deliberate, transparent approach to updating its zoning ordinances and policies.
• Long-Term Planning: It ensures that decisions with lasting impacts on neighborhoods, infrastructure, and municipal capacity are informed by a comprehensive policy review rather than piecemeal approvals.
“The moratorium is not intended to halt institutional growth indefinitely, nor to target any single institution, but rather to ensure that future development proceeds under a clearer and more durable regulatory framework,” LaFountain said.
Sarah Delage, a university spokesperson, said UNE’s president is looking forward to working with the city as a member of the newly created ad-hoc committee.
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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com
c.) 2026 All Rights Reserved, Biddeford Gazette, Inc.
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