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>CALL TO DIG INTO THE COLONY HOTEL, KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE
"sister hotel" in Florida
YORK COUNTY COAST STAR
Major redevelopment proposed for historic Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport
Shawn P. Sullivan
Portsmouth Herald
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — Big changes are ahead for The Colony Hotel if current redevelopment plans make their way through the local planning board process.
The hotel, located at 140 Ocean Ave., is a historic landmark in Kennebunkport.
If approved, the first phase of the redevelopment would focus on the hotel’s north campus and would involve demolishing eight buildings, constructing five new ones and expanding a current one, creating new parking lots, putting in new utilities and reconstructing a portion of Colony Avenue, according to Silas Canavan, of Walsh Engineering Associates.
WEA submitted a site plan review application to the town, on behalf of the Colony’s owner, Boughton Hotel Corporation,back in September. In April, the firm submitted updated site plans. The applicants most recently appeared before the planning board for a hearing in early May.
Werner Gilliam, the town’s planning director, said Wednesday the applicants do not have any appearances scheduled before the planning board. The applicant is focused on moving the project beyond its conceptual stage.
“That just takes time and engineering,” he said.
Gilliam added that the applicant also is working with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection on permitting requests.
Wright-Ryan Construction, of Portland, is the project’s construction manager. Market Square Architects, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is working on the building designs.
Currently, the hotel has 125 guestrooms in five separate buildings, according to its website. On the northern campus, 65 hotel rooms are expected to be offered once the project is complete, according to Canavan.
The plan calls for reconstructing part of Colony Avenue to provide a straighter road alignment, more centered in the right-of-way, and with curbing and a sidewalk. Abutting overhead utilities in parts of Colony and Ocean avenues will be reconstructed below-ground, and the current poles would be removed, according to the plan.
Gilliam said the applicant is working with the local water district on replacing the main water line on Colony Avenue.
The project, if approved, is expected to take years to complete, in part because of how busy the community gets during peak tourist seasons, Gilliam said.
“I do anticipate this would be a multiple-year project, especially since it would be done primarily during the off-season,” he said.
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The property has a long and rich history in Kennebunkport. According to its website, the Colony was originally the site of the Ocean Bluff Hotel 1872. Architect John Calvin Stevens designed the current hotel, which opened in 1914 as The Breakwater Court.
“The room and meals rate was $5-$10 per day, depending on (the) view and if you wanted a private bath,” the website recalls.
In 1935, the Boughton family bought The Colony Hotel in Delray Beach, Florida. Twelve years later,George Boughton bought The Breakwater Court here in Kennebunkport to complement the Florida hotel and create a kind of north-south connection that was common to such historic properties. The Breakwater Court became The Colony Hotel and opened for business during the summer of 1948, according to the website.
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Doing Business As: Colony Hotel, The
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Key Principal: JESTENA C BOUGHTON See more contacts