Developer’s hotel plans back on in Edgecomb
Developer Tony Casella on the Route 1, Edgecomb property where he wants to put up a hotel. File photo
Developer Tony Casella on the Route 1, Edgecomb property where he wants to put up a hotel. File photo
Developer Tony Casella said he now has the approval he has needed from the state to go forward with plans for a hotel on Route 1 in Edgecomb. The nod from the State Fire Marshal’s Office followed redesign work the agency had asked for, Casella said in a telephone interview November 6.
He sought the approval for more than a year. With it, he expects to soon resubmit his proposal to the Edgecomb Planning Board for the two-story, 48-unit hotel. Previously, the board gave Casella a to-do list, including an OK from the Fire Marshal’s Office for the project that would put a hotel on the same lot Casella has put up a business plaza and condominium rental office.
Because Casella withdrew his earlier proposal for the hotel, he will need to start the process again, Planning Board Chairman Jack French said. As far as he is aware, a hotel would still be a permitted use in the zone the property is in, French said.
Some residents have questioned the viability of a hotel there, with existing lodging in town. But town officials have said that’s Casella’s call to make; and in Thursday’s interview, Casella said the function center he opened on Eddy Road has been doing so well, he has sometimes had more people wanting a place to stay than he’s had condominiums to rent.
“I’ve had to turn people away,” he said. He picked up the former Davis Island Grill in a November 2013, Bank of Maine auction and turned it into Water’s Edge Banquet & Function Facility.
The planned hotel also encountered issues over sewer access the first time around. On Thursday, Casella said he still plans to have the hotel use the same pump station as the Sheepcot Harbour resort uses; he would add a pump to handle the additional load from the hotel, he said. When he bought the development rights to the “View” portion of the resort, that also gave him sewer rights, he said.
“I hope everything goes smooth, that’s all,” Casella said about the hotel project going back for town approval.
Related:Edgecomb hotel stays in developer’s sights
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