Zoning change to allow Dominos at 118 Alfred St. in Biddeford voted down

Domino’s pizza will not be moving in across the street from Pizza by Alex in Biddeford. The anticipated move was blocked by a City Council decision not to rezone the desired property to allow restaurants.

Local Domino’s Pizza franchisee Tiffani Ruszenas was asking the city to change the zoning at 118 Alfred St. to allow the restaurant to operate at that location. The property at 118 Alfred St. is located in the Main Street Revitalization District 2, or MSRD2 zone, which does not allow for restaurants. One side of the property directly abuts the MSRD1 zone, which does allow restaurants. On the other side of the property and behind it are multi-unit apartment buildings.

 

This graphic provided by the City of Biddeford shows in pink the MSRD1 Zone and in brown the MSRD2 Zone. Circled in red is 118 Alfred St.

Dominos Pizza moved into 111 Elm St. about four years ago, and Ruszenas said she has been looking for a new location as the property may be acquired by eminent domain to make way for construction of the Elm Street Corridor Improvement Project Maine Department of Transportation project on Elm Street (Route One) in Biddeford and Saco.

She said per the rules of Domino’s corporate office, a Dominos restaurant must be within 8 minutes of any delivery location. She said after searching for a building that was centrally located in her delivery area, the 118 Alfred St. property was the best choice. Ruszenas said she needs to be able to deliver to University of New England, as the college students are her largest customer base, and she needs to be located near the city’s residential neighborhoods.

Steph Mantis, whose family has owned Pizza by Alex for over 60 years, spoke at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Pizza by Alex is located at 93 Alfred St., and the far end of its parking lot is across the street from 118 Alfred St.

“I want to make it really clear that while on its face this is about two pizzerias, it’s really more so about the neighborhood and the character of the city,” said Mantis.

She said she was sympathetic toward Ruszenas for having to relocate her business, but she felt that having a business that would generate a lot of traffic and be open late at night would “shift the tempo” of the neighborhood.

“I find the messaging of this, to have the city rezone a single property that’s really the bridge of a residential neighborhood to be kind of a questionable choice,” she said.

Rusezenas said she has been a Domino’s business owner for 26 years, and the pizza chain has been in Biddeford for 35 years. She said she hires local people, pays above minimum wage, and contributes to local charities.

“We are very much a local business,” she said. 

The City Council voted down the zoning change seven to one, with Councilor Norman Belanger abstaining.

Councilor Marc Lessard was the only councilor who voted in favor of the proposed zoning change. He said the Council had once before changed the zoning of a single property, so a precedent had already been set. He noted the desired MSRD1 Zone extended further down the street on the side of the road opposite the 118 Alfred St. property.

“The building that this is intentionally going into is ideally suited for this business. The building is a commercial building,” he said.

Lessard said the property was currently unkept and bordered on blight.

“If it’s not this business, then what business? It’s been sitting empty for years,” he said.

Councilor Doris Ortiz said she didn’t feel like the issue at hand was a competition between two pizza joints, as the city had several successful pizza restaurants.

“I personally don’t feel that the neighborhood that it is going into is the correct neighborhood for it,” she said.

She said the property abuts apartment buildings, and would impact the character of the neighborhood, where there are currently no businesses open late at night.

Ortiz said she was concerned about the precedent the city was setting by approving changes like the one proposed.

“When do we stop doing this,” said Ortiz.

She suggested the city help Dominos find a different location.

Councilor William Emhiser said he thought a contract zone would be a better approach to allow the pizza restaurant at the location, as it would give time for more discussion.

Councilor Liam LaFountain said he had walked the area of the proposed Dominos after 10 p.m., and said there was noticeably less activity at that location than a few blocks down toward Main Street. He said while he had heard from many people opposed to the zoning change, those who supported it spoke very highly of Dominos and how the staff were treated. He said that while he didn’t think that 118 Alfred St. was the right location for Dominos, he thought the city should help Ruszenas find a different property.

“It’s a good business and I want us to be able to support them, I just don’t think this is the right location for a zoning change,” said LaFountain.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.