The Wedding Cake House. John Patriquin photo/Press Herald
KENNEBUNK — Kennebunk’s Wedding Cake House has been the center of planning board and neighborhood debate for the past five months — and the question of what happens next is before the Kennebunk Select Board, who will likely discuss the matter on Dec. 12.
At issue is whether the owners of the iconic house should be allowed to operate an inn and event space at the property, over the objections of neighbors who say that doing so would make Summer Street even more noisy and congested.
The owners of the Wedding Cake House, said to be the most photographed home in Maine, have requested the town grant them a contract zone agreement that would allow them to operate as an inn and host commercial events, including weddings. On Nov. 13, the Kennebunk Planning Board signaled its support for the agreement and voted 4-1 to send it to the select board with a positive recommendation.
Planning board vice chair Richard Smith was the dissenting vote.
According to Town Planner Brittany Howard, the contract zone agreement will likely be an item on the select board’s agenda on Dec. 12. The board will decide whether to hold a public hearing on the matter, she said.
Ultimately, the citizens of Kennebunk would have the final say if the board is in favor of the agreement. The board can either decide to kill the proposal or put it to voters in March 2024, pending their deliberations and what they hear during public comment.
Currently, only the contract zone agreement is under consideration. If approved, the project would undergo further scrutiny during the planning board’s site plan approval procedure, which is a separate process.
A number of Kennebunk community members spoke out against granting the agreement during the planning board’s public hearing on Nov. 13. Many of the comments touched on the same concerns that have been voiced at a previous public hearing held in July. Neighbors worry that hosting such events would change the character of the area and cause traffic and noise, among other concerns.
A couple who live next door to the house, Gayle and David Spofford, have been opposed to the agreement. Both spoke at the Nov. 13 meeting. Gayle Spofford evoked what she says she’ll give up if the proposal for the Wedding Cake House moves forward.
“I hear birds, I hear children and adults across the river in Arundel, playing talking, laughing, doing yard work,” she said. “I don’t hear a lot of traffic. I can still get out of my driveway.”
If allowed, “this venue will be noisy, and increase the traffic exponentially,” she said.
The owners of the Wedding Cake House, Hunt and Katie Edwards, said they have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore the house and need a dedicated revenue stream order to preserve the property’s “unique” exterior and architectural characteristics. They said hosting events and renting rooms out to guests would provide that necessary revenue. Current zoning rules bar them from using the Wedding Cake House in this way.
Hunt Edwards inherited the house from his uncle, James Hunt Barker, who purchased the home in 1998. In the 19th century, George Washington Bourne constructed the house with its distinctive columns, spires and gothic trim. Subsequent owners have been saddled with the cost of upkeeping the house.
In a column penned in August, Hunt Edwards said that he is committed to supporting the cultural and historical legacy of the home. “I am trying to help the Wedding Cake House, no matter who the owner is, to support itself for future generations to experience and the community to enjoy,” he wrote.
Even Smith, who voted against the recommendation of the contract zone, was sympathetic to the argument.
“The hard part of this one is both sides of this issue really have the best of intentions,” Smith said. “The abutters and the people who live in the direct neighborhood what to keep the neighborhood as a pristine residential area. Hunt and Kate want to keep the house, restore the house, and keep it maintained. Those are all laudable goals.”
While explaining his opposition, Smith said that, besides the cost of the trim, the cost of maintaining the Wedding Cake House is the same as what many other historic homeowners are paying. He also said it could set a precedent where other homeowners request a similar zoning change on the same grounds.
Accounting for some of the concerns voiced at public hearings, the planning board opted to recommend the plan on the condition that the owners are limited to hosting 20 tented outdoor events per year and are obligated to notify law enforcement and code enforcement at the start of the event season.
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