Kennebunkport Planning Board Continues Tides Beach Club Valet Parking Review

The Kennebunkport Planning Board advanced an accessory apartment conversion at 12 Chestnut Street to a public hearing and continued its review of a valet parking plan for the Tides Beach Club on Kings Highway. Board members raised safety concerns about the tight parking layout and asked staff to consult the police and fire chiefs before the plan moves forward. The board also began reviewing proposed historic design standards and discussed land use ordinance changes on the November ballot.

Key points

• The board approved a motion to schedule a public hearing on October 21 for the accessory apartment conversion at 12 Chestnut Street, contingent on the applicant providing an abutter letter, waiver requests, wastewater approval, and exterior lighting details.
• The board voted to continue its initial review of the Tides Beach Club valet parking plan, with members citing unresolved questions about traffic safety, vehicle maneuvering, and pedestrian access.
• Board members disagreed over whether the valet plan would worsen nonconformity, with one member arguing the plan cannot reduce existing parking and another noting the proposal would increase capacity from 15 to 25 spaces in the rear lot.
• The applicant, engineer John Witten and owner representative Emily Nelson, said the valet plan would manage restaurant parking without physical changes to the lot and that hotel guests would have priority.
• Board members noted several abutter letters raising concerns and asked why the applicant had not communicated with neighbors; the applicant said the plan was straightforward and operational rather than a physical change.
• The board began reviewing proposed historic overlay design standards, with members questioning why Dock Square was excluded and whether the Planning Board should be the reviewing authority.

Next steps

• Staff will coordinate with the police and fire chiefs to review the valet parking plan for safety and operational feasibility and report back to the board.
• The applicant will provide an abutter letter, official waiver requests, wastewater capacity confirmation, and exterior lighting details before the October 21 public hearing.
• Planning Board members were asked to review the proposed historic design standards and submit individual comments before the next meeting.
• Board members were asked to attend or confirm attendance at the select board's public hearing on the November ballot land use ordinance changes.

Read the full transcript