The former rest area on Route 1 south in Kennebunk is poised to become the site of a 12-bed memory care facility. Dan King photo
KENNEBUNK – Plans for a new, 12-bed memory care facility at the site of the old rest area on Route 1 south were back before the planning board earlier this week.
The project was first before the board in the fall of 2019, with a sketch plan followed by a site walk. Then there was a pause for a state environmental assessment.
On Monday, Beach Glass Management, LLC, presented a new plan for The Mooring, a proposal that avoids vernal pools and wetlands on the 14-acre site and is another step in the application process.
A new sketch of a proposed memory care facility at the site of the former Route 1 rest stop was presented to the Kenenbunk Planning Board on Monday. Courtesy Image
The Mooring has two other facilities, in Cumberland Foreside and The Downs in Scarborough.
The residences are designed to serve specific needs of people living with dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of progressive memory loss.
Each of the 12 residential suites opens into a shared living space, including the open kitchen and dining room, lounge areas and an activity room. A secure garden area is planned at the back of the facility, with circular trails and raised-bed gardens
The new plan places the facility farther back on the 14 acres – there is a required 250-foot buffer and it is located away from the wetlands, said Bill Walsh of Walsh Engineering. The plan shows 24 parking spaces and a drive-in and drop-off area. Walsh said the facility will connect to Route 1 for water and sewer and electrical utilities will run underground to the site.
In response to a question about the proximity of the driveway to the vernal pools, Walsh said it can be angled so water can run in a direction away from the pools.
The site was once a rest area and later, a snow dump. There have been prior projects planned for the town-owned site, but none have come to fruition.
Kennebunk issued a request for proposals in September 2018 and ultimately opted to enter into a purchase and sales agreement with Beach Glass Management, LLC, for the redevelopment of the property. The company bid $150,000 for the property.
Planning board members on Monday agreed another site walk wasn’t necessary.
The project is an in an area that requires design review.
“I think it’s going to be a good project,” said Planning Board chair Chris MacClinchy.
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