CAPE ELIZABETH – A new, modern version of the Rudy’s of the Cape restaurant got mostly positive support from residents and the Cape Elizabeth Planning Board during a hearing on an updated site plan for the property Nov. 18.

But some residents, and one Planning Board member, continue to criticize the proposal. They say the new Rudy’s design is not compatible with other nearby buildings on Ocean House Road, better known as Route 77.

In a 5-1-1 vote, with Chairwoman Victoria Volent abstaining, the Planning Board approved several modifications to a previously approved site plan and resource protection permit for Rudy’s, including upgrades to lighting and curbing, the installation of raised planters, a generator, an entrance sign and more.

“Because this was an amendment to a standing approval, they should be able to continue full throttle – or at a speed the owner dictates – on the project, while the plans are updated,” Town Planner Maureen O’Meara said after the meeting.

Part of the proposal, which is to use weathered steel siding on the lower portion of the building, has triggered mixed reviews from residents.

“We have heard very different points of view from the public,” said Planning Board member Elaine Falendar. “We’ve had as many emails in opposition as we’ve had speakers in support (of the project.)”

While some residents say they “love” the one-and-a-half story, contemporary, cottage-style building that replaces the former Rudy’s diner and convenience store, others would prefer a design they say would blend in with Cape Elizabeth’s existing architecture.

“I think if you look at it at the right angle, it looks like Darth Vader’s helmet,” resident Todd Colpitts said of the building. “I do not think it’s compatible with the structures in the neighborhood.”

Henry Steinberg, the only member who voted against the modified site plan, said Cape Elizabeth is “a calm and relaxed” community that “projects an aura of tranquility.”

The previous proposal by owner Paul J. Woods Jr, a Cape resident, included using a smooth, polished and pale-colored corrugated metal for the building’s exterior, rather than the dark, rust-colored siding that is currently on the building.

While the new Rudy’s is “a vast improvement over the shack that was there before,” it’s also “edgy” and “industrial,” Steinberg said. The new Rudy’s does not capture the essence of Cape Elizabeth, he said.

“The steel finish on it just takes it over the edge,” Steinberg added.

Woods bought the local landmark from former owner Chris Barnes in July 2011. That October, he announced his plans to knock down the old Rudy’s, which was called the Two Lights General Store at the time, and replace it with an energy-efficient, 80-seat restaurant with one apartment and a 1,250-square-foot retail building to be built in the second phase of construction.

According to O’Meara, the project was approved in December 2011. Since then, Woods has returned to the Planning Board twice with changes to the site plan.

“It’s definitely evolved over time,” said landscape architect Patrick Carroll of Carroll Associates Landscape Architects.

In addition to the proposed siding, Carroll said the other upgrades, including the curbing, lighting, raised planters, and the entrance sign on the property, improve the building’s overall “quality and aesthetics.”

“The goal is to create something we are very proud of,” Carroll said.

According to Carroll, the plan is to finish construction of the building as soon as possible and open the new Rudy’s before the end of the year.

Building architect Phil Kaplan explained how the weathered steel siding on the exterior of the new Rudy’s complies with the town’s design guidelines and is compatible with nearby buildings. According to Kaplan, it’s the third project in the area – including two on Great Diamond Island in Casco Bay – that uses weathered steel siding.

The texture and rusty finish of the siding complements the surrounding landscape, said Kaplan. He called it an “environmentally responsible” material that will outlast the other materials on the new building. It also requires little to no maintenance, he said.

There are several structures near Rudy’s with “similar textural qualities,” Kaplan said. It’s “a high-end, distinctive, architectural material. It provides a unique appearance that has been successfully used in other high-end residential and commercial projects for many years and throughout the world.”

Planning Board member Carol Anne Jordan said the Planning Board should have heard the Nov. 18 presentation on the site plan amendments two months ago.

“When (Code Enforcement Officer) Ben MacDougal first asked you to stop work and get the siding reviewed, if you had done it then, you’d be done and open by now,” Jordan told the developers.

Falender agreed.

“It risks sending some kind of a message to future developers of other projects in town, that what’s approved by the Planning Board can be disregarded,” she said.

Cape Elizabeth resident Catherine Fairbanks-Cliffe said that she likes the design of the new Rudy’s.

“Let’s be honest,” she said. “We all remember how it used to look. This is way better. The feel of the building, once we saw the 3-ton pizza oven going in the back door, seemed to make sense.”

Another resident, Erin Acheson, said he has enjoyed watching the transformation of the new restaurant during the last few years.

“The improvement over what it was, is night-and-day better,” he said.

Acheson is “100 percent for” the new Rudy’s, he said, as it will provide more jobs and attract more business to Cape Elizabeth.

“Quite frankly, I don’t see what all the fuss is,” he said. “Like it or not, as far as the appearance goes, sounds to me like they have met all the requirements.”

Another resident and former landscape architect, Richard Berman, said, “I pass this building four to eight times a day. I have to say, this is my favorite building I’ve seen – and not just in Cape Elizabeth, but in the whole region.”

The building reflects the seaside nature of Cape Elizabeth, he said, as well as the creative people who live there.

“It’s organic,” said Berman. “I think it’s a stroke of genius. It’s definitely an upgrade.”

Zev Myerowitz, who lives and works in the building next door to Rudy’s, said he has followed the project since Day 1, and so far, he’s impressed with the results. He said the new Rudy’s is a nice addition to the community.

“As much character as the former building had, I think that what’s going in its place is fantastic,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the day when I can go across the street and enjoy a pizza.”

Patrick Carroll of Carroll Associates Landscape Architects in Portland addresses the Planning Board during a hearing on the new Rudy’s of the Cape restaurant on Nov. 18.  

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