| Joanne Cole |
A site walk and public hearing have been set for Five Maples LLC, whose application to convert a farmhouse at 52 Peacock Hill Road to a four-unit multiplex is under review at the Planning Board. The renovated structure would have two two-bedroom and two single-bedroom units that Five Maples hopes to use for Airbnb-type rentals. The 5.5-acre parcel is between Lewiston Road and Peacock Hill Road, next to the Post Office, in the Upper Village zone (Map 19 Lot 26).
The Five Maples site walk is informational and open to the public, and will take place on Sunday, December 18, at 1 p.m. at 52 Peacock Hill Road. On Tuesday, December 20, at 7 p.m., the Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the project. The public hearing and the board meeting to follow will be at the Meetinghouse and live-streamed at this link and this link.
In the board’s review to date, a key question has been how Five Maples’ planned use fits within the town’s zoning ordinance. New Gloucester doesn’t have specific provisions concerning Airbnb-type rentals, which board members have noted combine residential and commercial elements and are often owner-occupied. (Five Maples’s would not be.)
Given the ordinance, Code Enforcement Officer Rick Haas has characterized the Five Maples project as a multiplex – as opposed to lodging or a bed and breakfast, for example. Five Maples will pivot to traditional rental units, its Matthew Edwards has said, if an Airbnb is not successful there.
For a multiplex in the Upper Village, Five Maples’ submission needs details that the board has discussed with them and requested. Still-needed information includes designating at least 250 feet of private outdoor space per unit, parking space locations, outdoor lighting plans, and locations for future sidewalks and trash bins. State Fire Marshall review and well capacity tests also await.
But the nearer term will see a site walk and public hearing, followed by further Planning Board review.
For information about the Planning Board, its meetings and work, check the board’s page at this link.
