By Emma Bouthillette
Staff Writer
Some 25 residents were present at the July 2 Kennebunkport Planning Board public hearing to voice their opinions regarding the “club house” for the proposed 87-acre “Olde Port Village” between North and School streets.
Bob Metcalf, of Mitchell & Associates Landscape Architects, presented the plan for the subdivision’s club house, which would consist of a 4,200-square foot building, a 25-car parking lot, pool and two tennis courts, on a three-acre parcel. Metcalf said the facility would serve as a gathering place for residents of the development, and would not be open to the general public. The club house would be open seven days a week between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
“The club house was in the proposal from the beginning. You can’t take away the residents’ ability to put in their own pools or basketball courts and then not give them a recreation center,” said Tom Macone, developer with CDMK, LLC Properties.
Macone and Metcalf have been working with the town since the land was purchased two years ago. Kennebunkport Code Enforcement Officer Brian Shaw said the plan for the development has been revised multiple times since then.
The subdivision will consist of 82 units, in the form of multiplexes, duplexes, and the club house. There will be a three-unit, four-unit and five-unit multiplex and 70 duplexes. The buildings are scattered throughout the 87 acres, with 35 percent of the land remaining open space, Metcalf said.  
Macone said he is committed to keeping Olde Port Village a low-impact development.
“We’ve taken the ability to cut trees on property away from the condo owners. The idea to keep the land pristine is always in the back of our head,” Macone said.
Concerns about the number of trees proposed to be cut were raised during the public hearing. Land abutter Andrea Mabee cited the developer’s request for a waiver on tree identification.
After the meeting, Shaw said this waiver asks Macone to identify only the trees in the areas of the development to be modified.
“It would be extremely difficult and costly to identify every tree on the 87 acres. The planning board didn’t think that was possible, so they granted the waiver,” Shaw said.
Other concerns included the noise and location of the club house, traffic impact and damage to the watershed.
Peter Hedgwick, the developer’s traffic engineer, said traffic generated from the site will not exceed standards and the site distances exceed the 350 feet minimum standard set by the town.
“Between the site distances and crash history, the department of transportation does not identify this site as a safety issue,” Hedgwick said.
Mike Marquis, caretaker of the abutting Weintraub estate, spoke on behalf of property owner, Jane Morgan Weintraub. He expressed concern about the placement of the club house and the impact on Weintraub’s property value.
“Why does it have to be jammed up against the property line?” Marquis asked.
After the meeting, Metcalf said despite changes made per Kennebunkport’s requests, the proposed club house has always been planned for that section of the property.
“We will put in supplemental vegetation to create a buffer between the properties and protect as much of the current vegetation,” Metcalf said.
John McNamara, resident of Kennebunkport’s Foxberry Woods Condominiums that abut the proposed development, expressed concern about the flow of his property’s leach field and the effect construction would have.
Metcalf said he spoke with engineers involved with Foxberry Woods.
They saw no conflict with Olde Port Village, and said the leach field flows in the opposite direction McNamara was presenting.
Nina Pearlmutter Frink, daughter-in-law of the former landowner of the 87 acres, spoke in favor of Macone’s development. Frink said when her family sold the land, she and her husband thought Macone had the best plan for the property.
“Tom was the one developer who wanted to keep the way of the land. He has really tried to keep the wetlands as wetlands and not destroy the flora and fauna,” Frink said.
She also said the parcel of land where the club house is planned currently has the least vegetation to remove and the plan to use buffers as trees will work.
“Trees can cut off sight and cut off sound. Trees are one of the best sound barriers you can put in,” Frink said.
The public hearing on the proposal will continue at the next planning board meeting July 16.