BELFAST – If anyone believed the community had had a meeting of the minds on big box stores those hopes were dashed Tuesday as scores of residents both for and against large-scale development continued to attempt to sway the City Council to their side of the aisle.

More than 200 people filled the Troy Howard Middle School gymnasium to outline their beliefs during a public hearing conducted by the City Council on Tuesday night. Residents patiently waited in line for their moment at the microphone and, in no uncertain terms, urged the council to act.

The difficulty for the council was that half of the room wanted members to revamp the city’s zoning to allow big box stores while the other half warned against making changes. Many of the voices were the same that have spoken at earlier meetings, but there were some new ones as well.

The council took no action but City Planner Wayne Marshall said some formal decision was expected within the next few weeks.

Marshall said the council was considering a number of options, including holding a referendum on the matter, and recognized that the topic had been debated for years and continued to be a “divisive issue” in the city.

The meeting was called in response to an announcement last month by Lowe’s Stores that it had taken an option on an 84 acre parcel off Route 3 and planned to build a 140,000 square foot retail store there. The city’s zoning ordinance currently limits stores in that part of town to 75,000 square feet.

Deborah Perry told the council that the continually escalating price of gasoline made it critical for the city to welcome large retail stores. Perry is disabled and she told the council that the road conditions to Bangor made her ride there uncomfortable.

Perry said she could not afford to shop in Belfast and that competition would lower prices and provide work for youth and retirees. She also said she found it difficult to accept the argument against big box stores on environmental grounds considering the condition of the city.

“If you people are so worried about the environment why is there so much trash around here?” she asked.

Glen Montgomery said he could not believe the council would entertain a proposal from Lowe’s in light of the fact that it would likely harm existing businesses and did not meet the recommendations of the city’s Retail Review Commission. Montgomery served on the commission and he reminded the council that its recommendations called for a general merchandise store that sold clothing and household goods, not another hardware store.

Many who addressed the council either in person or by letter suggested that members consider commissioning an impact statement before going ahead with any changes to the zoning ordinance. Tammy Scully pointed out by letter that it has been shown that while some communities were not harmed by the arrival of big box stores, others were devastated. She urged the council to take the time to determine the long-term impact.

Larry Gleeson said the community only needed to look south to Rockland to see the impact of large stores. He said that although the stores and fast food restaurants were located at the city’s outskirts, downtown Rockland was thriving. He said without something to draw the customers, business dries up.

“If you lose traffic to surrounding communities, you’re giving up on it,” Gleeson said.

Lynn Doubleday of Swanville said she had worked in retail in the area for more than 20 years and recognized the need for Belfast to have other options. Despite that need, Doubleday said, she could not support locating a big box in the city. Instead, Doubleday said some in the city were considering building a community-owned department store.

Doubleday said that Citizens Organizing for Responsible Retail have scheduled a meeting to discuss that type of store for 5 p.m. Friday, May 11, at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center and invited the audience to attend. Sharon Earhart, director of the community-owned Powell Mercantile in Powell, W.Va., is scheduled to attend the meeting. For information contact Doubleday at 338-4792 or threedogssmile@gmail.com.