The Biddeford zoning board has rejected University of New England’s request to start cutting down trees for a new research pier.
“A big win for those who have expressed opposition to a new pier along the Saco River,” Biddeford Buzz reported.
The school had wanted to clear trees along the waterway as well as demolish Leonard Hall.
The planned $200,000 project was to cut trees along the river in order to build an access road.
Board members decided the permit request was covered by a building moratorium the city recently enacted preventing future school construction, despite school officials insisting they filed their application before the moratorium.
“The project’s future is in doubt because Biddeford is challenging a permit issued by the Saco River Corridor Commission in 2024, a case that will be heard by Maine’s Supreme Court,” a group calling itself Pier Concerns UNE said in a statement after Monday’s zoning decision.
“Also, the location where UNE wants to put the pier is unavailable, because several private mooring owners already occupy the spot,” the group said.
A school spokesman told Biddeford Buzz following the permit denial “we are evaluating options available to us.”
