KENNEBUNK — On Monday, there was a nearly full house at the Kennebunk Planning Board meeting, as several residents spoke out against a luxury hotel that is proposed to be built in Lower Village.
The potential of increased traffic in what is already a congested area of the town was one of the biggest concerns mentioned by those who said they don’t want the 80-room boutique hotel that is being proposed in that area.
Bateman Partners, LLC of Portland and Hart Hotels, Inc., of New York, plan to build a 17,000-square-foot building on two parcels of land near Federal Jack’s restaurant. The location is behind an 18-slip marina on the Kennebunk River, and is near Western Avenue and Doanes Wharf Road, which is a residential street.
David Bateman, a principal with Bateman Partners, said his company has built a number of luxury hotels similar to the one proposed for Kennebunk, including the AAA four-diamond rated Portland Harbor Hotel in the Old Port.
In addition to the 80 hotel rooms, the project would include a restaurant and six condominium units.
The parcels are in a coastal residential and resource protection zones, as well as shoreland overlay.
For the project to move forward, the board of selectmen would have to place a proposal for a contract zone on the ballot, and ultimately, it would be up to town residents whether to approve it. Contract zones allow applicants to operate under altered rules and regulations for requirements such as setbacks and density in the area surrounding these special zones. In this case, a contract zone is needed to allow for reduced setbacks for the project and less parking than is required in the current zone, among other considerations.
“This will be a long process,” said planning board member Robert Metcalf.
Parking and traffic safety are among his concerns, said Metcalf. He said a number of years ago, there wasn’t much going on in Lower Village, but in the last eight years, “all hell’s broken loose.”
In addition, he said, “I’m concerned with the scale and character of fitting (the hotel) in with the river.”
Metcalf told the developer that the biggest challenge “is convincing me this is a benefit to the community.”
Several other planning board members concurred.
In exchange for allowing contract zones in a community, the municipality usually receives some benefits.
Bateman said one of the most important benefits the town would receive from the project is additional guest facilities, which he said has been identified as a need in Kennebunk. The creation of year-round jobs, he didn’t specify how many, would be another benefit.
Other advantages would include an easement for pedestrian access to the waterfront, an easement allowing for a larger pump station, and the developers would incur the cost of moving and replacing the sewer line around the property.
“You make good points,” said planning board Chairman Chris MacClinchey. “It’s needed, but is it the right fit and location?”
A number of residents spoke in opposition of the project.
“We’re not the Old Port,” said Pat Foley, who lives in Lower Village. “When does the madness stop in our beautiful little town?”
“It’s much too big, it’s not good for the town, it’s not going to help me,” said Brenda Bryant who lives in West Kennebunk. “We need to protect the small, lovely village we have.”
“This is another Trojan horse galloping through Lower Village,” said Robert Lyons, who lives in that area of town. “This Trojan horse must be stopped in the stall.”
Before the planning board reaches a decision of whether to recommend the contract zone, more detailed plans are needed, said Metcalf. He added that the applicant may wish to make some changes based on the comments made by planning board members and the public.
When asked by a resident how the decision will be reached, Metcalf said, “It’s obvious by the amount of people in this room this is going to be a long, drawn-out process. Ultimately, you and the residents make the final decision.”
The next step in the process will be a site walk of the property by the planning board on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or [email protected].
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