The Edgecomb Planning Board heard from a couple who wants to purchase the property at 48 Route 1 in Edgecomb for a seasonal eat-in and takeout restaurant. (Jessica Clifford photo)
The Edgecomb Planning Board heard preliminary plans for a seasonal eat-in and takeout restaurant on Route 1, next to Peapod Jewelry, on Thursday, Sept. 19.
Steve and Luanne Stinson want to know if their plan is viable before buying the property at 48 U.S. Route 1.
The Stinsons own an award-winning seasonal seafood restaurant, Claws, in Rockland.
Steve Stinson said he needs to know whether he can build on the lot. “Would Edgecomb even entertain having a restaurant of that sort there?” he said.
The property consists of 2.2 acres with frontage on Route 1 and the Sheepscot River, according to a listing on Coldwell Banker’s website.
Abenaki Trading Co., a shop that sells Native American arts, crafts, and jewelry, is on the property.
“I wanted to take out some of the trees up front. I want to leave the forest the best I can, just because it’s gorgeous walking through there,” Steve Stinson said.
They would tear down the current building and build a new one.
The building would have a kitchen, restrooms, and a dining area, with easy access for to-go customers.
The couple is also interested in building an 80-by-30-foot deck for outdoor seating, with a walkway leading up to it.
Steve Stinson thinks the restaurant would be “picnic table-style” with “maybe six or eight tables in a conditioned area and the rest of them picnic tables sitting under a covered deck.” The deck would be open-air.
The Stinsons would like to have parking in the front, he said.
The Stinsons did not say what type of food they would serve.
“You will love our food, I promise,” Luanne Stinson said to the board. “Everything’s homemade, right down to the tartar sauce, right down to the dressings on the salads.”
One issue with the plan might be the number of parking spots the Stinsons want to have.
The couple wants to have a 100-seat restaurant. However, according to Edgecomb’s land use ordinance, restaurants must have one parking space for every two seats and one space for each employee. Following this rule, the restaurant would need to have 50 parking spots just for customers.
Steve Stinson estimated that he could put 45 parking spots on the property.
With the board giving him the go-ahead to continue his research, Steve Stinson’s next steps are to look at options for a septic field and well.
The Stinsons will need to bring in a site plan review when they come back to the board.
