Proposed Kennebunk hotel faces opposition
A proposed 80-room boutique hotel in Kennebunk's Lower Village faced some opposition from community members Monday night as developers sought a controversial zoning change.
The York County Coast Star reported that the Kennebunk Planning Board was considering a zoning proposal that would allow the proposed 17,000-square-foot “four diamond” hotel to operate in a residential zone that currently doesn't allow developments of that kind. The hotel would include underground parking, six condominiums, a 40-seat restaurant and a pedestrian waterfront trail.
The zoning proposal is being sought by Kennebunk Harbor Hotel LLC. The company's partner in the project is Buffalo-N.Y.-based Hart Hotels, which operates the Portland Harbor Hotel among 10 other hotels, according to the newspaper.
David Bateman, a developer involved with the project, said the hotel would fall in line with Kennebunk's comprehensive plan because it calls for more hotel rooms. He noted that it also would create more jobs for the area.
But the more than a dozen residents who spoke at the meeting weren't convinced, saying the proposed development wouldn't fit in with the character of the residential area. “My neighbors will describe graphically the disastrous consequences on the fabric of this community if this proposal goes forward,” Robert Lyons, one of the neighbors, said.
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