GORHAM — Amazon’s plan to build a warehouse and distribution facility near the town center drew largely negative feedback and a smattering of support Monday night at the first public hearing on the controversial proposal.

The online megaretailer submitted a site plan in March to build a 146,280-square-foot warehouse on 94 acres off Main Street (Route 25) that the company has agreed to buy from the town for $4 million.

Of 30 people who signed up to speak during the planning board meeting, a handful stood to voice support, citing potential benefits to the commercial tax base, local economy and job market.

The warehouse is expected to employ up to 170 full- and part-time workers, with full-time positions earning an average hourly wage nearly triple the federal minimum (of $7.25 per hour), plus benefits, according to Amazon’s website.

“It represents the right project, at the right time, in the right location,” said Katherine Garrard, a Gorham resident.

Kristen Lehmann, who lives on Shamrock Drive alongside the project site, was among the residents who raised concerns about the project’s potential impacts on the environment and overall quality of life in town. She urged the board to investigate Amazon’s assessment that the round-the-clock facility would generate over 3,000 vehicle arrivals and departures daily.

“If the numbers are wrong, we do not get a do-over,” said Lehmann, reading a statement by a neighbor who couldn’t attend the more than four-hour meeting.

ORGANIZED OPPOSITION

A citizens group, Gorham United, has organized an online petition and launched a GoFundMe campaign to hire a lawyer and fight Amazon’s proposal. So far, about 900 people have signed, including residents of Westbrook and other neighboring towns, and more than 50 people have donated over $6,700 toward a $135,000 goal.

The group has identified “significant issues” in the company’s applications to the town, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Maine Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, spokesperson Josh Trombley said in a Facebook post.

Chris Taylor of Sebago Technics, a South Portland firm working with project developer Bluewater Property Group, outlined the steps that would be taken to minimize sound, light and other impacts of facility.

Buffers of existing trees and greenery would be preserved and augmented, and a 6-foot-tall fence would be installed between residential neighbors and 558 parking spaces filled with delivery trucks and driver vehicles, Taylor said.

Lighting throughout the project would be directed downward, and light poles would diminish in height from 35 feet near the plant to 20 feet near residences, he said.

Early in the meeting, Carol Eyerman, the town planner, said the project would require up to three waivers to site plan rules: to allow three driveways off Main Street rather than only one; to allow overhead utilities across a Portland Water District easement area; and to allow narrower loading docks.

The board heard testimony on the proposal until nearly 11 p.m., after which members unanimously approved waivers for three driveways and overhead utilities.

Eyerman said Amazon is expected to submit an updated site plan and revised documents, after which the board will schedule sessions to continue its review and vote on the overall site plan.

AMAZON’S LARGER PLAN

The proposed distribution center is part of a $4 billion initiative Amazon unveiled last year to grow its rural delivery network across the U.S. and provide faster service to less densely populated areas, Amazon spokesperson Jonathan Greeley told the board. Known as a “last mile” delivery station, it’s intended to coordinate the final stretch of service to small towns.

Elsewhere in Maine, Amazon opened a 15,000-square-foot delivery station in Caribou last August. Developers announced plans in March to build a 159,000-square-foot distribution center in Waterville and Sidney, and have started building a 60,000-square-foot Amazon facility in Hermon, near Bangor.

In southern Maine, Amazon packages are currently stored and delivered by third parties, including the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS. Amazon orders in Maine are delivered from fulfillment centers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, Greeley said.