Kennebunk resident Jamie Barth spoke at a Jan. 9 Select Board meeting. She supported putting a proposed contract zone agreement that would allow the Wedding Cake House to operate as an inn and event space on the ballot. Eloise Goldsmith photo
KENNEBUNK — At multiple points during the Jan. 9 Kennebunk Select Board meeting, it seemed like a much-discussed proposal to allow the historic Wedding Cake House to operate as an inn and event space would be rejected.
But it survived — sort of.
The Select Board had the option to toss out the proposal entirely or send it to voters for them to approve on the March 5 ballot. They chose neither, instead opting to digest the feedback they heard that evening and review their concerns with the proposal at their next meeting.
As of the meeting’s conclusion, it seemed likely that the group would send the proposal back to the Planning Board with clearer instructions on what sort of proposal they would approve.
Since this past summer, the owners of the Wedding Cake House, Hunt and Katie Edwards, have been pursuing a contract zone agreement with the town that would allow them to operate the iconic house as an inn and to host events of up to 150 attendees, including weddings. The house is located in the Suburban Residential Zone and Historic Preservation Overlay district.
The Wedding Cake House, perhaps the most photographed home in Maine, sits on Summer Street in Kennebunk and is famous for its ornate trim and gothic-style exterior. The Edwardses are pursuing the contract zone agreement because they say they need a dedicated revenue stream for costs associated with maintaining the house. They say they have already spent tens of thousands of dollars on preserving and restoring the home.
On Nov. 13, the Kennebunk Planning Board signaled its support for the contract zone agreement. They voted 4-1 to send it to the Select Board with a positive recommendation. Richard Smith, the Planning Board vice chair, was the dissenting vote.
Neighbors in the area have mobilized to block the proposal. Gayle and David Spofford, who live next door to the Wedding Cake House, have created a group called Friends of the Wedding Cake House — which they estimate includes roughly 20 families — to spearhead that opposition.
Many people who had spoken at previous public meetings about the Wedding Cake House were there again that night. The Jan. 9 meeting marked the third time the municipality has held a public hearing on the contract zone agreement.
The owners of the Wedding Cake House, Hunt and Katie Edwards, have been pursuing a contract zone agreement with the town that would allow them to operate the iconic house as an inn and to host events of up to 150 attendees. Dan King photo
Objections to the proposal included a number of now familiar sticking points: that it would cause noise and traffic congestion, change the character of the neighborhood, and create a “slippery slope” where other property owners would begin asking for similar permissions.
Residents who spoke on Jan. 9 and at previous meetings included the Spoffords, local lawyer Georgia Bolduc, Jack and Joan Pinto – a couple that lives close to the Wedding Cake House – and others.
“I have no desire to live next to a bar, which is basically what you’re asking us to do,” said Gayle Spofford. David Spofford also said that the proposal was tantamount to turning the Wedding Cake House into a “bar.”
“The owners propose having a 150-person party every weekend in the beautiful months when neighbors up and down the street are outside with their families, ” said Joan Pinto during her remarks.
“I think that the Wedding Cake House could support itself as a bed and breakfast, with wonderful smaller events inside or inside the barn,” she added.
In an interview after the meeting, the Edwardses said that allowing up to 150 for some events was a number they settled on in order to make the scheme viable from a revenue perspective. They emphasized that not every event would have 150 people, and that larger events would ensure they could make enough money to front the repairs.
“With the plan in general, the more restrictions you put on it, the bigger chance it has to fail. We tried to walk through that with the Planning Board, and they understood and seemed to think they reached a reasonable conclusion with those numbers,” said Katie Edwards.
When asked for their overall reaction to the evening, they said they were disappointed by it.
Hunt Edwards said he didn’t appreciate some members of the town saying that his proposal would turn the Wedding Cake House into a “bar.”
“It was really upsetting to me that they think we would degrade that house and (its) history by doing something like that,” he said.
Two other people stood up and spoke in favor of the proposal, including Kennebunk resident, Jamie Barth.
“I believe in supporting this project going forward, and I think it should be up to the community of Kennebunk to vote on this,” Barth said.
Following the public hearing, the Select Board deliberated, with a number of members saying they saw both sides of the issue — but in general the body seemed more sympathetic to the position of the neighbors.
Select Board Member Leslie Trentalange said she acknowledged how much time and effort the applicants had put in so far, however, she “did not agree with what feels like an ongoing PR campaign claiming that the town needs to agree to this contract zone or else that will be the end of the Wedding Cake House.”
“That sounds more like an attempt at holding the town hostage for one property’s maintenance,” she said.
Select Board Member Kevin Therrien said that the Select Board posed “dozens” of questions to the applicant at their last meeting on Dec. 12 that they had not been answered satisfactorily.
He suggested that the board take a vote on whether or not to nix the idea of having a contract zone entirely. Board member Kortney Nedeau suggested the same, but not because she was in favor of the move, she said. Rather, it would prevent members from wasting time and discussing it further if a majority would never agree to it in any form.
The Select Board did eventually take a non-binding vote on that question, with only Select Board member Miriam Whitehouse voting that she would not support any form of contract zone.
The meeting concluded with the body agreeing to review concerns and discuss at the next board meeting.
The Edwardses have the option to give up on this process and sell the house, but for the moment it seems they’re willing to stick it out.
“There might be a point where we say ‘We find this unreasonable and it’s not what we’re going to do’,” said Katie Edwards on Jan. 10.
“But we got this far. We’re willing to look at this group’s presentation of what they want to see.”
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