Outlets at Kittery redevelopment gets first review; planners offer support, critiques
KITTERY, Maine — A proposal to demolish the Outlets at Kittery and redevelop the site with a 120-room hotel, 100-unit apartment building, a restaurant and retail space drew concerns from the town's Planning Board about building setback distance and green space.
Ryan Plummer, director of development and construction at Two International Group, a Portsmouth commercial real estate company, is seeking to transform the 6.4-acre site at 283 Route 1 next to the Kittery Trading Post. The proposal made its first appearance before the board last week.
The plan calls for the construction of three buildings: the 18,500-square-foot hotel, 25,000-square-foot apartment building and 10,000-square-foot restaurant and retail building.
Neil Hansen of Tighe & Bond, a Portsmouth engineering consulting company, represented Plummer, who attended the meeting.
“The current thought with phasing is that the hotel would be the first to be built … the apartment building would then be the second building to be built, with the retail space finishing the site," Hansen told the board.
Kittery’s zoning ordinance mandates that front-facing buildings proposed in the town's C-1 zone can only be set back 15 feet from the lot line. The Planning Board, however, can allow a greater setback when there are public amenities proposed, such as benches, pocket parks, outdoor dining or seating areas.
More local news: Portsmouth native opening Italian market, bringing back Angelina's calzones
The hotel building is proposed to be set back greater than 15 feet the lot line. Hansen explained the proposed hotel is further back from the roadway because of emergency vehicle access, putting the front entrance and hotel pickup lane near the front of the building, and attempting to limit the impact of street noise.
“This is the first blush of trying to change the constitution of Route 1 — moving buildings up closer to the road so there will be a more urban look,” said board vice chairperson Karen Kalmar.
According to Hansen, the hotel entrance overhang, as proposed, is set back 41 feet from the lot line. The building itself is set back roughly 60 feet.
Jason Garnham, Kittery’s director of planning and development, explained the town’s rules for maximum setback distance in the C-1 zone.
“The conventional thinking is that placing your buildings or other vertical elements close to the street presents a visual cue to drive more slowly because there’s a lot more visual stimulation in their field of vision,” he said. “Particularly if the buildings have windows and doors, maybe some architectural details, putting the buildings closer to the street also creates a more visually stimulating environment for pedestrians.”
Kittery Planning Board chairperson Dutch Dunkelberger said the site could use more green space for use by residents of the apartment building and hotel visitors. The chair suggested removing unnecessary parking spaces and using some area at the back of the site to implement more recreational space.
The proposal calls for 344 parking spaces.
“I think this is an excellent start for reenvisioning the retail space along Route 1,” Dunkelberger stated.
The Outlets at Kittery include the closed Bass Outlet store and existing businesses like Carter’s Babies and Kids, Le Creuset, Lucky Brand Jeans, OshKosh B’Gosh, Loft Outlet, Hanesbrands and others.
More local news: Sen. Shaheen touts Portsmouth Naval Shipyard talent as 3 nations ink historic submarine deal
“I’m encouraged to see redevelopment in this zone,” said board member Russell White. “It’s never easy but we’ve been looking at something like this for … 10 years.”
The Planning Board voted to continue the site sketch plan review at a future date.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Outlets at Kittery ME redevelopment proposal gets first review
