Inn by the Sea looks to expand (Printed July 6, 2007)
By Ward Peck
Editor
One of a handful of businesses along Cape Elizabeth’s scenic coastline, the Inn by the Sea on Route 77, constructed on a promontory overlooking Crescent Beach State park offers visitors bedroom views otherwise reserved for a small clique of Maine’s luckiest– and wealthiest– residents. To accommodate demand for rooms and meeting and party space, the Inn is proposing an expansion of its main building, replacing a tennis court with a parking area and reconfiguring the entrance.
The Cape Elizabeth Planning Board is expected to hold a public hearing on the plan, described as in the design phase by Mike Zimmerman of Olympia Development, on July 17. Zimmerman said the inn plans to close in the fall to begin the renovations.
The new addition will expand the north wing of the main building and will replace an existing trellised rose garden. The addition and other proposed renovations would add 15 rooms to the current 43 available on the property. The tennis courts, visible from Route 77 on the South side of the property, were described as underused during a recent tour of the site and will be removed to make room for most of the additional 11 parking spaces planned. The plan calls for a traffic island to be constructed at the property entrance to segregate incoming traffic from outgoing traffic. Other minor changes include expanding the main lobby and deck on the back of the main building and increasing the floor space on the second floor as well as expanding the portico on the front of the building to allow two cars to load or unload out of the elements.
Architect Richard Lo said the inn, which markets itself as an environmentally friendly facility and earned commendations as a “green” lodging experience, “will endeavor to incorporate as much green design as possible.”
“There are features we want to enhance and some we want to introduce,” Lo said.
Zimmerman said environmentally friendly features might include the types of materials used and air conditioning and lighting systems.
According to Town Planner Maureen O’Meara, the plan conforms to the zoning ordinance but pressed the design team about the town’s desire to see the facility connect to the public sewer system rather than rely on the existing septic system. The Portland Water district is currently installing a new waterline along the portion of Route 77 abutting the property and once the project is complete, will abandon the old line. O’Meara said the project could use the old line to connect to the town sewer system.
Zimmerman said moving the facility off of the septic system and onto public sewer would add more than $300,000 to the project, which he described as cost prohibitive.
Asked why the environmentally friendly facility would resist connecting to the sewer system, Zimmerman asked, “Why is septic less green?” He said connecting to the sewer system would require a pump that consumes electricity and would increase the load on the town system. He said the inn is being environmentally responsible by managing its own waste.
But O’Meara said connecting to the sewer system “would be more green.” She said the town has questions about the inn’s ability to handle the extra capacity and noted the inn has had issues with handling its wastewater in the past. O’Meara said there are concerns about the current quality of the treated water that is discharged into wetlands between the inn and the Ocean.
Editor
One of a handful of businesses along Cape Elizabeth’s scenic coastline, the Inn by the Sea on Route 77, constructed on a promontory overlooking Crescent Beach State park offers visitors bedroom views otherwise reserved for a small clique of Maine’s luckiest– and wealthiest– residents. To accommodate demand for rooms and meeting and party space, the Inn is proposing an expansion of its main building, replacing a tennis court with a parking area and reconfiguring the entrance.
The Cape Elizabeth Planning Board is expected to hold a public hearing on the plan, described as in the design phase by Mike Zimmerman of Olympia Development, on July 17. Zimmerman said the inn plans to close in the fall to begin the renovations.
The new addition will expand the north wing of the main building and will replace an existing trellised rose garden. The addition and other proposed renovations would add 15 rooms to the current 43 available on the property. The tennis courts, visible from Route 77 on the South side of the property, were described as underused during a recent tour of the site and will be removed to make room for most of the additional 11 parking spaces planned. The plan calls for a traffic island to be constructed at the property entrance to segregate incoming traffic from outgoing traffic. Other minor changes include expanding the main lobby and deck on the back of the main building and increasing the floor space on the second floor as well as expanding the portico on the front of the building to allow two cars to load or unload out of the elements.
Architect Richard Lo said the inn, which markets itself as an environmentally friendly facility and earned commendations as a “green” lodging experience, “will endeavor to incorporate as much green design as possible.”
“There are features we want to enhance and some we want to introduce,” Lo said.
Zimmerman said environmentally friendly features might include the types of materials used and air conditioning and lighting systems.
According to Town Planner Maureen O’Meara, the plan conforms to the zoning ordinance but pressed the design team about the town’s desire to see the facility connect to the public sewer system rather than rely on the existing septic system. The Portland Water district is currently installing a new waterline along the portion of Route 77 abutting the property and once the project is complete, will abandon the old line. O’Meara said the project could use the old line to connect to the town sewer system.
Zimmerman said moving the facility off of the septic system and onto public sewer would add more than $300,000 to the project, which he described as cost prohibitive.
Asked why the environmentally friendly facility would resist connecting to the sewer system, Zimmerman asked, “Why is septic less green?” He said connecting to the sewer system would require a pump that consumes electricity and would increase the load on the town system. He said the inn is being environmentally responsible by managing its own waste.
But O’Meara said connecting to the sewer system “would be more green.” She said the town has questions about the inn’s ability to handle the extra capacity and noted the inn has had issues with handling its wastewater in the past. O’Meara said there are concerns about the current quality of the treated water that is discharged into wetlands between the inn and the Ocean.
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