Auburn residents cautious about redevelopment plan

Auburn hosted its second of three public meetings on the town's redevelopment plan last week, with no public comments but plenty of questions.
The third public hearing will take place at 7 p.m. May 26, with a final hearing scheduled during the City Council meeting at 7 p.m. June 2.

With the redevelopment plan, the city aims to designate certain areas as "blighted" or "underdeveloped," opening the door for state grants and low-interest loans to spur redevelopment in these areas.

City Planner Larry Lucas recapped the six areas under discussion — areas along Carter Road, Main Street and Parks Mill Road identified as blighted, and the underdeveloped areas of Auburn Station, the downtown district and Auburn Business Park.

When Lucas opened the floor to public comments, several had specific questions related to the redevelopment plan. One resident said he was concerned about the city's use of eminent domain for the project, but Lucas assured him that while, under state law cities are allowed to use eminent domain, officials had no intention of exercising that right.