AUBURN - If the current mayor gets his way, there will be one less Lattimore in the city of Auburn.

Mayor Timothy Lattimore wants to suggest another name in place of the requested Lattimore Drive for a budding subdivision off Prospect Street.

Lattimore wants to ensure other families who have worked to better Auburn receive a form of honor and recognition.

“I'm honored they would want to have the name Lattimore associated with Vitales,” Lattimore said.

The Auburn City Council will review Thursday a proposal to name the two streets of the developing Eastside Heights neighborhood. PMV Vitale Realty Partnership asked council to consider calling the two streets Vitale Drive and Lattimore Drive.

The mayor is grateful but says so many other families deserve the recognition. The city boasts numerous prominent families who have served the city in various ways, Lattimore said.

He wants to call on those who can assist in redeveloping the city, he added. An example is the John Walsh Boulevard off Grant Avenue.

He will recommend other families whose names could be posted on the road, but declined to reveal any suggestions before the council meeting.

“One family served the city in public office. They also served as ambassadors ... I want to acknowledge (their courage),” Lattimore said. “It's not about holding office.”

The Vitales wrote a letter to the council stating the company representatives wanted to dedicate the roads before the new councilors and mayor start next week.

Lattimore sees the chance to name the street as a way to help foster entrepreneurship and development within the city limits.

The neighborhood is almost done with the infrastructure.

“They invested a lot of money in there,” councilor William Graney said of the subdivision.

The council reviewed this subdivision in August because it straddles the border between Sennett and Auburn. The developers asked the city to allow those Sennett properties to tap into the city's utilities and pay Auburn directly.

There were questions whether the city could come to an agreement with Sennett because the lots lay in the town's water district. It remains unclear what rate those residents would pay, the city or the town's price.

Lattimore said officials are working to resolve the situation.

The letter states the Vitale family financed the project and has invested in Auburn throughout the years.

The Lattimore family also played a leadership role in the city, and former Mayor Paul Lattimore Sr. started economic growth expansion in Auburn.

“A city should be growing, be percolating,” Lattimore said. “It shouldn't be stagnant.”

Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net

If you go

What: Auburn City Council meeting

When: 6 p.m. Thursday

Where: 24 South St.

Who: Public is welcome, and may speak during the designated public hearing portion