BANGOR – During a meeting Tuesday night dominated by nine separate public hearings, two agenda items stood out in terms of the level of discussion they generated.

One of the items involved a medium-sized commercial subdivision proposed for outer Broadway by Bangor developer Judson Grant Jr., who won preliminary subdivision plan approval but who will need to address concerns ranging from road configuration to sewer service before seeking final approval.

The other involved the Bangor YMCA’s request to rezone two Court Street parcels to be used to ease the ongoing parking crunch at its Hammond Street facility.

The YMCA applied for a cheaper straight zone change, but planning officials, including city staff, instead wanted the nonprofit group to seek a contract zone change as a way to protect nearby residential areas and to make sure the land reverts to its original residential zoning designation should the property someday change hands.

After hearing comments from six proponents, and no opponents, the planning board members overwhelmingly agreed with the city staff’s assessment.

Consequently, the YMCA’s zone change will move on to the City Council without an ought-to-pass recommendation from the planning board.

Rob Reeves, chief executive officer for the YMCA and YWCA, said he had discussed rezoning options for 54 and 58 Court St. with city planning staff before he and board members opted to apply for a regular rezoning from urban residential to government and institutional service district because the fee was about half that of the $1,500 cost for a contract zone change application.

“We would certainly not be against that,” he said. “To us it was a matter of cost.”

With a contract zone change, planning board members agreed, the city would be able to attach specific development requirements to the project, such as vegetative buffers between the lot and neighboring residential properties.

After another round of lengthy discussion, board members granted preliminary subdivision plan approval to Judson Grant Jr., for a proposed seven-lot commercial subdivision on outer Broadway, across the street from Abundant Life Church.

Members of Grant’s development team said the lots would house medical and professional office buildings. Construction would occur in conjunction with a proposed expansion of Judson Heights, a residential subdivision.

Before the project returns to the board for final approval, City Engineer Jim Ring said he wanted Grant’s development team to see if they could reduce the number of access points for the property, improve the configuration of a proposed interior service road, and see if existing sewer plans could be changed to use gravity, to eliminate the need for pump stations.