Village Parcel
The Town of Kennebunkport seeks to solidify a plan for the undeveloped Village Parcel site between North Street and School Street. Voters approved purchasing the 87-acre property for $10M by referendum in 2018. In 2019, the Town initiated a public process to examine feasible uses and public preferences for the property. The Town is now moving to finalize that vision post-pandemic so the Board of Selectmen may take the next steps to see it actualized.
2023 Survey
The survey results can be viewed here: Village Parcel Survey Results Sept. 2023
We are now entering Phase 2 of this process. There was a new survey to gain input on the next steps of this process. This survey was available online or as a paper copy. All copies had to be completed or turned in to Town Hall by Monday, Sept. 11 at 4:30pm.
The Basics:
A committee was formed and the final report from this committee can be found here: A Vision for the Village Parcel (July 2020).
All information regarding the committee including meeting agendas and minutes, questionnaire results, and so much more can be found here: The Village Parcel Master Plan Committee.
Village Parcel Visioning Public Process 2019-2020
- Steering Committee comprised of 7 residents and 2 Selectboard members.
- Seventeen stakeholder groups were identified and interviewed as part of the public process. The consultants conducted interviews during scheduled Steering Committee meetings. Stakeholder groups included: Planning Board, Growth Planning Committee, Kennebunkport Conservation Trust, Conservation Commission, Housing Heritage Trust, Kennebunkport Business Association, Cemetery Committee, Shade Tree Committee, Budget Board, Street Lighting Committee, Ad-hoc Senior Advisory Committee, Kennebunkport Library, Historical Society, Portside Rotary, Consolidated PTA, and abutters. (Over 90 people)
- Two Public Visioning Sessions in May and July of 2019 with over 250 participants
- Public Steering Committee Meetings with public attending. (11 meetings)
Overview
The public planning effort guided by the Village Parcel Steering Committee outlined a number of key ideas and priorities for the development of the Parcel, which can be categorized as non-residential and residential in nature.
Three priorities emerged in the “Non-Residential” group:
- Preservation of Open Space for Conservation and Recreation
- Reserving Land for Future Use
- Limited, Near-Term Municipal Uses
The second group were residential in nature and highlight how the Village Parcel presents the Town with the opportunity to address the housing needs of young families, town workers and seniors that cannot readily be accommodated in the current Kennebunkport market. These housing needs might be best accommodated within the context of a mixed-income, multigenerational neighborhood on the property, ideas for which were presented by the consulting team during the public visioning process.
In order to explore the feasibility of incorporating all these ideas into a road map for the future use of the Village Parcel, a preliminary plan which illustrates Potential Development Areas (Exhibit 5.1 and Appendix E) was produced by the consulting team. Because utilities to the Village parcel would connect from the North Street side, development would logically commence on Area A, then B, and so on. Reference to this plan will be made throughout this discussion of both Non-Residential and the Housing Priorities.
Exhibit 5.1