Commercial projects top planning board agenda (Printed July 20, 2007)
By Ward Peck
Editor
In a town with few commercial properties, the Cape Elizabeth Planning Board Tuesday night considered five separate plans involving businesses.
First on the agenda, the board approved Stephen and Patricia Bothel's request to create a five-lot subdivision on their Ocean House Road (Rt. 77) property, which contains the auto repair shop distinguished by the functioning windmill spinning above the shop. In addition to the repair shop, the property also contains three homes as well as roughly 15 acres of undeveloped property. The Bothels sought to separate the homes and business onto individual lots and create a 12-acre undeveloped lot behind the existing developments. According to John Mitchell of Mitchell Associates, the Bothels have no plans to develop that lot, but are reserving the right to do so in the future as possible homes for their children. As approved the site will physically not change and no further development is will occur, but the subdivision plan provides 2.3-acres to be permanently conserved as open-space. Any future development or subdivisions would require another review by the planning board.
The Inn by the Sea received its final approval to begin an addition to the landmark lodging and dining facility, also on Rt. 77. The plan calls for a new wing, increased parking, the removal of tennis courts and other changes that will add 15 rooms and increase common areas within the main building. Town officials had encouraged the inn to abandon its existing septic system in favor of connecting to the public sewer by way of a recently abandoned water line in front of the property, which the project development team rejected as financially onerous.
The planning board declined to make any such changes a condition of approval.
Instead the board spent much of the time debating whether the inn’s parking plan sufficiently met town requirements. The issue threatened to delay approval as the planning board, town planner and the inn’s representative debated the interpretation of the town’s parking ordinance formula to determine how many parking spaces the inn would need when holding outdoor functions such as weddings, keeping their restaurant open, and having all its rooms occupied. The issue was resolved by the board’s determination that guests of the inn who also would be attending the event should not be counted twice.
Ocean House Child Development Center owners Laurie Grant and Peggy Littlefield received the board’s blessing to move their daycare facility out of leased space at Cape Elizabeth Untied Methodist Church and into the former Maxwell’s Farm market building on Spurwink Avenue and to expand the number of children allowed to be their care from 32 to 60. The daycare facility plans to expand the number of children first to 47 and will be required to build a larger playground before it accepts more than 52 children.
The board put the brakes on Gregg Jones’ plan to convert “Jonsey’s” gas and service station in the town center into a gas station and convenience store when they voted 6-1 that the plan submitted was incomplete and required more information before being considered. Board member Scott Collins cast the dissenting vote. Board members expressed sympathy for the local businessman in their decision to delay the approval process but maintained that there was too much information lacking to move forward.
Jones, through the project’s manager Ron St. Pierre had requested several waivers for information including evidence of financial capability, information on utility locations and a lighting plan. Town Planner Maureen O’Meara also said the plans had not been reviewed by a licensed surveyor and mentioned several other pieces of missing information.
Following an earlier town council decision to change zoning requirements to allow the project to proceed, Canyon Creek Development presented its plan to redevelop the former Viking Nursing Home on Scott Dyer Road. The project will involve demolishing a single story wing on the property and building a two-story structure in its place.
The total facility will house 95 seniors in a mixture of independent and assisted living settings. The board deemed the application complete and scheduled a public hearing for its next meeting on Aug. 21.
Editor
In a town with few commercial properties, the Cape Elizabeth Planning Board Tuesday night considered five separate plans involving businesses.
First on the agenda, the board approved Stephen and Patricia Bothel's request to create a five-lot subdivision on their Ocean House Road (Rt. 77) property, which contains the auto repair shop distinguished by the functioning windmill spinning above the shop. In addition to the repair shop, the property also contains three homes as well as roughly 15 acres of undeveloped property. The Bothels sought to separate the homes and business onto individual lots and create a 12-acre undeveloped lot behind the existing developments. According to John Mitchell of Mitchell Associates, the Bothels have no plans to develop that lot, but are reserving the right to do so in the future as possible homes for their children. As approved the site will physically not change and no further development is will occur, but the subdivision plan provides 2.3-acres to be permanently conserved as open-space. Any future development or subdivisions would require another review by the planning board.
The Inn by the Sea received its final approval to begin an addition to the landmark lodging and dining facility, also on Rt. 77. The plan calls for a new wing, increased parking, the removal of tennis courts and other changes that will add 15 rooms and increase common areas within the main building. Town officials had encouraged the inn to abandon its existing septic system in favor of connecting to the public sewer by way of a recently abandoned water line in front of the property, which the project development team rejected as financially onerous.
The planning board declined to make any such changes a condition of approval.
Instead the board spent much of the time debating whether the inn’s parking plan sufficiently met town requirements. The issue threatened to delay approval as the planning board, town planner and the inn’s representative debated the interpretation of the town’s parking ordinance formula to determine how many parking spaces the inn would need when holding outdoor functions such as weddings, keeping their restaurant open, and having all its rooms occupied. The issue was resolved by the board’s determination that guests of the inn who also would be attending the event should not be counted twice.
Ocean House Child Development Center owners Laurie Grant and Peggy Littlefield received the board’s blessing to move their daycare facility out of leased space at Cape Elizabeth Untied Methodist Church and into the former Maxwell’s Farm market building on Spurwink Avenue and to expand the number of children allowed to be their care from 32 to 60. The daycare facility plans to expand the number of children first to 47 and will be required to build a larger playground before it accepts more than 52 children.
The board put the brakes on Gregg Jones’ plan to convert “Jonsey’s” gas and service station in the town center into a gas station and convenience store when they voted 6-1 that the plan submitted was incomplete and required more information before being considered. Board member Scott Collins cast the dissenting vote. Board members expressed sympathy for the local businessman in their decision to delay the approval process but maintained that there was too much information lacking to move forward.
Jones, through the project’s manager Ron St. Pierre had requested several waivers for information including evidence of financial capability, information on utility locations and a lighting plan. Town Planner Maureen O’Meara also said the plans had not been reviewed by a licensed surveyor and mentioned several other pieces of missing information.
Following an earlier town council decision to change zoning requirements to allow the project to proceed, Canyon Creek Development presented its plan to redevelop the former Viking Nursing Home on Scott Dyer Road. The project will involve demolishing a single story wing on the property and building a two-story structure in its place.
The total facility will house 95 seniors in a mixture of independent and assisted living settings. The board deemed the application complete and scheduled a public hearing for its next meeting on Aug. 21.
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