The Gerrish House, at far right, shown in an early 1900s postcard, is where Roy's Auto Service is currently located. Next to Gerrish is the Soldiers Memorial Building -- Rogers House is not shown because it was built later as a hotel in 1911. (Courtesy Lebanon Historical Society)
The Gerrish House, at far right, shown in an early 1900s postcard, is where Roy's Auto Service is currently located. Next to Gerrish is the Soldiers Memorial Building -- Rogers House is not shown because it was built later as a hotel in 1911. (Courtesy Lebanon Historical Society)

Lebanon — The Lebanon Housing Authority on Tuesday withdrew its applications to construct a four-story apartment building downtown, citing pushback from the community and Planning Board members.

The authority had hoped to purchase the quarter-acre property on North Park Street that currently is home to Roy’s Auto Service and replace it with a 30-unit apartment building complete with an administrative office and first-floor commercial space. The proposal came under fire on Monday from city officials, who were concerned the project was too large and wouldn’t adequately provide parking for residents.

“Unfortunately, last night’s Planning Board meeting comments and interpretations made it quite clear that the proposed building concept is not supported by a majority of the Planning Board members nor by the public in attendance,” the housing authority’s executive director, Ditha Alonso, wrote in a Tuesday email to city planning staff.

“Other information leading up to this meeting has been negative and disparaging as well,” she wrote.

The first criticisms of the project came from the City Council last month, when many councilors expressed surprise that the authority would submit a site plan application without first seeking input from the council. The city is in the process of a visioning study for the future of the downtown, and councilors said such a project should be a part of that process.

“It feels out of sync,” City Councilor Suzanne Prentiss said during the council’s April meeting. “It doesn’t really feel like we’re all in this together.”

The project then went before the Planning Board on Monday, where board members, three city councilors and residents criticized the proposal for not providing enough parking and for looking out of place next to the Soldiers Memorial Building.

The city zoning ordinance doesn’t require building developments to provide parking in the Commercial Building District because of nearby city-owned parking.

“We’re going to turn the Soldiers Memorial Building into Stuart Little’s house,” Planning Board member Carl Porter said during the meeting.

Alonso said Planning Board and Heritage Commission review was the housing authority’s way of seeking feedback. She also said the project came about quickly after Cathy and Gregory Giguere, the owners of Roy’s Auto, offered to sell the property so the housing authority could fill the need for affordable housing in the Upper Valley.

The Gigueres signed an option-to-purchase agreement for the property, Alonso told the Heritage Commission in April. It’s unclear whether that agreement still stands.

The city planning notices that once adorned the mechanic shop window were gone by Wednesday afternoon. Inside, Cathy Giguere declined to comment on the withdrawal of the project, saying only that the business intends to remain open.

Alonso on Wednesday said the housing authority plans to explore other options to create affordable housing in Lebanon, but didn’t elaborate on what those options could include.

“We’re always looking for new places and new ways of proving affordable housing,” she said. “We’ll just keep searching for something that fits.”

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.