Two separate property owners received approval to move ahead with their plans at the Boothbay Harbor Planning Board meeting on Dec. 7.  

PGC3 LLC was given the green light to make changes to the B&B located at 7 Bay Street. Melissa Neel, vice president of operations for the LLC, explained to the board that a barn on the site would be set back and renovated to add three rooms and bathrooms for employees.

When Board Chairman Thomas Churchill asked if more parking spaces would be needed with the addition of the three rooms, Neel responded, “We would add three spaces.” She noted that these spaces would remain unpaved.

“I see a line on this drawing near wetlands,” board member William Hamblen said. “Will you be doing any construction there?”

“No,” answered Neel.

Members of the public were asked for comment. When there were no comments, the board unanimously approved the application.

Next, The Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club and the Knickerbocker Group presented a revised application to demolish the McKown House building on the lot next to the yacht club. The club owns both lots. “The building is dilapidated. We want to replace it with a new structure,” explained Brent James, an architectural designer from Knickerbocker.

James said the new structure will provide space for the club’s Juniors Program, which offers sailing, tennis, and golf programs to members and extends scholarships to local students through the Boothbay Harbor Junior Program Foundation. The building also would contain a multipurpose room, administrative space and a private apartment.  

When asked by the board why the two lots have not been combined into one property, yacht club Commodore Eric Hakanson said it would be too expensive. “If we were to join the town property with the clubhouse property, that would force us, because we’re taking out a mortgage on the McKown property, to put flood insurance onto the clubhouse property. We cannot afford to do that,” said Hakanson.

The board also had questions about parking. “It (the McKown lot) is a commercial building with no parking. The parking across the street is for the yacht club,” Churchill said. “You’re asking us to approve a commercial project with no parking. If the yacht club were to sell this property, where would people park?”

“I don’t want to see any more hard surface in that area. A lot of runoff goes into the harbor and we have to be concerned about water quality,” board member Margaret Perritt said.

“We need a mechanism that shows that, on this piece of property, there is someplace to park,” said Churchill. “You can do that with an easement or some other means.” 

After a short discussion, it was decided that as a condition for approval, four parking spaces in the yacht club lot would be leased and set aside for those using the McKown property.

James was asked if there would be blasting. “There is some, for ledge. The basement space in the existing building is small and needs to be expanded. Part of it has to do with wanting to get light into the Juniors’ program space, which is the heart of their program. It was a requirement of the design to not make the kids feel as if they’re tucked down into the heart of the basement.” 

The board delivered a unanimous yes vote for the revised plan.