Concerns about traffic, safety, parking, noise, lights, and all the things glossed over during the Planning Board process for approval of the proposed “boutique hotel” in Rockport village are mirrored everywhere. You may see it in Camden, whenever you like. Is it too much of a good thing?
Our biggest problem with parking is that all the uses are concurrent: Nina June, 18 Central, Rockport Opera House, Bay Chamber Concerts, and a 26 room hotel with another restaurant and top floor lounge. This in the face of already universally agreed parking shortfalls, without the hotel, restaurant and lounge. The developer’s solution? Run a valet parking service to the old Hoboken Gardens, just like they have in Camden. Well, not really just like it because here the lot is more than twice as distant as in Camden, and the shuttles will be passing through the residential area on Pascal Avenue with small children living along the road.
Do you want this congestion? The shuttles and more cars competing for available on street parking?
This piece Tourists Can be Too Much of a Good Thing for This Maine Town from All Things Considered on National Public Radio shares perspectives from our neighbor Down East, Bar Harbor. Hopefully we can all internalize this message, especially hopeful developers in the audience.