A hotel proposal sparks worries over home values and lost views.
LEWISTON – About 30 of Tim Dubuc’s neighbors sounded off Tuesday on his proposal to build a hotel along their street or behind their homes.
To some, the plan seemed inevitable, part of East Avenue’s growth as a primary corridor for Lewiston traffic. But for others, it could be an intrusion on the quiet streets and an eyesore for homeowners accustomed to seeing the city’s lights from their hill.
“Do you think I want something like that blocking my view, so people from out of town can see it?” asked Leo Baillargeon, of 29 Pearl St. From his home he can see the twin steeples of Saints Peter and Paul Church. If a hotel went up, he might not.
The suggested construction could also hurt his property values, he said.
Dubuc wants a hotel chain to build on the property, where he now operates Mom and Dad’s Guest House. Before he can build – even before he can go to a bank – he needs the zoning changed to add drinking and eating establishments and hotels to the list of allowed uses there.
“I think this is the perfect location for this type of use,” said Lincoln Jeffers, deputy director of the city’s Economic and Community Development Department. The meeting was meant to be informational, he said.
Dubuc’s bid for conditional rezoning of the property is to go before the Planning Board and the City Council.
“Without this rezoning, the project cannot go through,” he said.
Details of the project are vague. Many who attended this meeting, held at the B Street Community Center, wanted more.
“How many rooms?” asked Ken Wagner. “How many people?”
He, too, worried that such a development would hurt his home’s value.
“I have a 30-year investment in my home at 21 Pearl St.,” Wagner said. “I don’t want to lose it.”
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