Plans for the conversion of the Lighthouse Inn into condominiums have been put on hold while the developers meet with residents to get their input on the proposal.
“We’re going back and reevaluating all the different components of the project,” said Architect Mark Chaloupecky of Port City Architects, the company working on the conversion plan.
The developers were scheduled to appear at the May 11 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, but have asked that the issue be tabled until after they hold two public meetings on June 1 and June 27 to help gather additional community input. The meetings will be held at the Pine Point Fire Station at 7 p.m.
Chaloupecky said he hoped to engage specific questions regarding the plan during the Planning Board portion of the process, but said since they are already being raised it would be better to handle them now.
“We’re trying to figure out what the best solution would be as far as everybody is concerned,” Chaloupecky said.
Neighbors remain steadfast in their opposition to the current plans. While most said they are not against the proposed conversion, they are against the proposed construction of a third story, a proposed land swap with the town and the use of a freestanding office as a living unit.
“We not opposed to condos in general,” said Pine Point resident Judy Shirk. “We didn’t want the three stories because it would set a precedent for three-story multiplexes. Three stories doesn’t sound that high, but when you get a lot of them it is.”
Arlene Hurd, another vocal opponent of the plan, said she would be satisfied with a conversion proposal that puts the parking in the back of the building, keeps it at two stories and does not move Pine Point Road.
“I think the consensus, in my opinion, is absolutely no three stories,” Hurd said. “My biggest point is this is a huge building on less than a half an acre and the expansion of it should not be permitted.”
Opponents were happy to learn about the public meetings and said their timing will allow summer residents to participate in the discussion, which was more difficult during the discussions of the past several months. Hurd said she would like to see a public official present at the meetings and have the discussions recorded.
The owners of the property, Peter and Nicholas Truman, are proposing to renovate the existing 22-unit seasonal motel into six condominiums. Five units would be in the motel building and the sixth would be located in the freestanding office building located in the back of the hotel. In addition, a third floor would be constructed on the buildings.
“Our goal is to convert the hotel into condominium units and make it a more conforming project for that area,” Chaloupecky said.
The proposal requires Zoning Board of Appeals approval because the lot does not conform to existing zoning. They are seeking permission to convert and expand the hotel into condominium, and approval of a separate request to add a third story. The developers have met twice with the appeals board and both times the issues were tabled.
The plan initially included a land swap between the Trumans and the town, to separate Truman property in the shoreland zone from the rest of the parcel, a prerequisite for approval of the two requests.
The swap, which was first raised by the town, would involve the two sides trading about the same area of land. It would allow Pine Point Road to move 18 feet away from the inn and provide enough room for parking in front of the building. It also would allow the removal of the barricades, giving residents better beach access.
The developers dropped the request at the last appeals board meeting because they felt it was causing too much confusion and it was not necessary for the project to move forward.
At the same meeting it was announced that the Trumans were going to simply give that small shoreland area to the town, without making any kind of trade. The town never accepted the land.
For now everything is off the table and there are no longer any specific plans, leaving the land swap still an option.
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