OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The Old Orchard Beach Planning Board considered four residential projects at their February meeting that, if approved, could see 92 units of housing and a 100 RV seasonal campground erected in the coastal town.
In addition to the campground, the body is considering a project for two housing units next to hole 16 at Dunegrass Golf Club, a proposed 72-unit development also in the golf course area, and a contract zone that would allow a developer to build 18 condo units on New Colony Drive.
The total number of units either recently approved or pending approval by the Planning Board is approximately 208, according to Town Planner Jeffrey Hinderliter, though it’s unlikely that all of those projects will be able to secure building permits within a year of Planning Board approval.
The town approved building permits for 96 housing units in 2022, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The preliminary tally for the following year was 94 units. The data for a given year is finalized in May of the following year, according to HUD.
Tammy Ahearn and Archie St. Hilaire are the applicants behind the proposed 100 RV campground on Portland Avenue. The park would sit on two lots close to the Old Orchard Beach-Scarborough town line. The site would look similar to Seacoast Resort, which is a “model RV community” on Seacoast Lane, according to Planning Board documents.
“This is exciting,” said Hinderliter of the RV campground proposal. “This is new territory for me, even with all the years that I’ve been here.”
The campground would be serviced by the public water system and a private sewer, according to Hinderliter. It would also include a pool and clubhouse.
The RV park, which will be built on land left to Ahearn by her father, would be seasonal, open from May to October.
The applicants have already completed the pre-application process and were seeking a thumbs up from the Planning Board to move forward with the project. The board offered comments but expressed they were generally supportive.
Over at Dunegrass Golf Club, the firm Atlantic Resource Consultants has asked the Planning Board to approve a project to build 27 single-family house lots, a lot with 45 townhouse units, and two open space lots — constituting a large development at the club.
If approved, the project would be located on a yet-to-be constructed private road that would connect to Wild Dunes Way. That road would also have an emergency access connection to Willow Avenue.
Atlantic Resource Consultants presented the project to the Planning Board on behalf of the owners, D&E, LLC. The project is in early stages and the applicant has so far submitted pre-application to the Planning Board.
Atlantic Resource Consultants also has a separate project before the Planning Board, to build two single-family units next to hole 16 at Dunegrass Golf Club with shared driveway access from Ross Road. This project’s owner is Dominator Golf LLC.
The Planning Board is deliberating on final site plan approval for this project, but opted to table ruling on an amendment to the plan at their latest meeting because the project is still waiting on Maine Department of Environmental Protection permit approval.
For both of these projects, the applicant needs the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to issue a permit to build, which Atlantic Resource Consultants is currently working to secure.
The last proposal considered at the Feb. 8 meeting would also clear the way for double digits of new housing in Old Orchard Beach. Owner and applicant Gary Salamacha of Saland Development Inc. is asking for a contract zone so he can construct 18 single-family condos at 4 New Colony Drive. A contract zone grants an exemption to existing zoning code.
“We had one contract zone for 20 plus years, and we’ve had five contract zone proposals over the past two or three years. And, you know, that says more that our zoning is out of date more than any one applicant disorder issue,” said Hinderliter on Feb. 8, before delving into the details of the proposal.
“We’re actually actively working on updating our comprehensive plan by writing a new (comprehensive) plan,” which will include land use updates, he added.
The applicant is seeking permission from the Planning Board to build at that location at higher density than is currently allowed, which they say will make the project more financially viable.
All units are proposed to be more affordable than the median home cost in Old Orchard Beach ($523,000 as of 2022 data), according to a memo put together by the planning staff.
Approval for the actual construction of the 18 units would need to be submitted separately before the Planning Board, if the applicant is able to secure approval for the contract zone.
Salamacha is also currently building a 22-unit development on Old Orchard Road in Saco, he shared at the meeting.
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