Holiday Inn Express on U.S. Route 1, 61-bed rooming house on Route 236 proposed in Kittery
KITTERY, Maine — Separate proposals filed with the town Planning Board are seeking approval to bring a new hotel to U.S. Route 1 in Kittery and a rooming house to Route 236.
Two applicants - both represented by Geoff Aleva, president of South Berwick’s Civil Consultants - will have their pitches heard for the first time by the Kittery Planning Board on Thursday night.
Kittery planning department public records show a three-story, 63-room hotel is being proposed for the site at 90 U.S. Route 1, home of the former 10-room Little Guest House motel, which has since been demolished. At present, the lot contains only a parking area with driveways that access both Old Post Road and the U.S. Route 1 Bypass, in addition to woodlands on the eastern part of the parcel.
The proposed 13,308-square-foot hotel would be a Holiday Inn Express, which would be built with 67 parking spots.
The application has been submitted by 90 US Route 1 LLC, per town records.
61-bed rooming house pitched for Route 236
The Planning Board will also begin its review of a plan to construct a 61-bed, three-story rooming house at 17 and 25 Route 236.
The 6,789-square-foot rooming house, with 35 rooms planned to be for rent, would primarily be for employees of the unidentified property owner. A new parking lot will hold 22 spaces.
“As most know, housing for workers is very difficult in this area of the state,” Aleva wrote in a description of the project. “This proposed rooming house will provide convenient housing for seasonal workers.”
The two properties would be merged into one lot as part of the project, though the rooming house would be located entirely at 17 Route 236. The address presently contains woodlands and a shed that would be demolished as part of the project.
“Each floor would have separate bathrooms for men and women, shared living room space, and a shared kitchen,” the proposal adds. “Workers would be charged rent for staying in the rooming house, and a superintendent would live on the site in one of the single bed units.”
A superintendent for the rooming house would reside on the first floor of the building. The rooming house would contain nine one-bedroom units and 26 two-bedroom units.
The 25 Route 236 lot currently houses a two-story, seven-unit apartment building, which would not be impacted by the proposed development, spanning 3,543 square feet.
The town Planning Board meeting this week is expected to draw interest from a number of residents, as another proposal involving the possible demolition of Warren’s Lobster House to make way for condominiums and a 20-slip marina is additionally being heard by the board.
The Kittery Planning Board will meet on Thursday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. in Town Hall.
Related story: Warren's Lobster House, an iconic restaurant in Kittery, Maine, eyed for condos and marina
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Holiday Inn Express, 61-bed rooming house proposed in Kittery, Maine
