The owners of this home and barn at 138 Fairview Ave. in Auburn are asking the city to use the property as a wedding venue. F. Stephen Ward and his daughter, Katharine Hall, recently purchased the property, which will be the topic of an upcoming Planning Board meeting. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
AUBURN — A proposal to use a Fairview Avenue property as a wedding venue is meeting with concern from neighbors ahead of a Planning Board hearing next month.
According to documents forwarded by city planning staff, the project comes from F. Stephen Ward and Katharine Hall, a father-daughter team who recently purchased the house and barn at 138 Fairview Ave. with the intention of creating a wedding venue. The pair are listed as managing partners in Fairview Barn.
Hall said they want to be good neighbors and are working with city staff and consultants on multiple ways to mitigate potential issues.
In a letter to the Planning Board, the Fairview Barn team said its goal is to “create a unique wedding venue with rustic charm that will provide the bridal party and wedding guests with a memorable wedding day showcasing genuine hospitality.” It also states that the venue is “specifically designed for smaller-scale events,” with attendees limited to 75 or fewer.
“We believe this number is properly scaled to the setting and the neighborhood, and it is not meant for larger wedding parties,” the letter reads.
However, when abutters recently received notices from the city regarding the proposal, word quickly spread among neighbors. Along with it were concerns for noisy weddings in a single-family neighborhood they say already has traffic issues.
Robert Higgins, who lives on Fairview Avenue with his wife and two young children, said they are “devastated” by the proposal.
“We’re worried about traffic, noise, as well as the possible issues alcohol at events will bring,” he said. “I’ve been nightlife and event security for over 15 years, and these events always bring issues, whether it’s drunk driving, fights, public urination and more. This is not suited to this area.”
A post on Facebook this week from abutter Tom Campbell had been shared 28 times as of Thursday. In an email to elected officials, Campbell said the proposed change is “dangerous, irresponsible, and completely disrespectful of existing residents of this wonderful single-family neighborhood.”
Reached Thursday, Hall said she is still working on sound mitigation and traffic planning, and wants both to be “as effective as possible.” She said safety is a big concern and “a lot of research and planning” went into hiring the right traffic engineer to handle on-site circulation.
She said much of what they are working on to make the venue suitable for neighbors will be discussed at the upcoming meeting.
“We know it’s a neighborhood and it’s Maine,” she said. “We’re setting ourselves up to exceed the requirements, not only for the venue but because it’s the right thing to do for the neighborhood.”
The property is in the T-4.2B zoning district, where halls, private clubs and lodges are only allowed with a special exception of the Planning Board. The zoning type was created as part of the controversial rezoning process in Auburn meant to give property owners more flexibility with their land and encourage more housing, but it was opposed by many, including now-Mayor Jeff Harmon, due to perceived impacts to residential neighborhoods.
In his email to officials, Campbell said that when the zoning change was proposed, residents were told the zoning would “not be abused.”
“It wouldn’t end up with McDonalds or a bar being put on our street,” he said. “And now here we are, with a proposal for a glorified bar to be right on our road.”
In its letter to the Planning Board, Fairview Barn said the venue would operate May through October, with only one event per weekend. They would also encourage earlier start and end times, with a firm end time of 10 p.m.
“Katharine and Steve have placed very high priority on minimizing the impact they may have on abutters and the overall neighborhood,” the letter said, pointing to proposed site plan elements such as additional fencing, Dark Sky-approved lighting, and sound mitigation.
Dark Sky lighting is outdoor lighting designed to direct light to the ground, not into the sky where it can contribute to light pollution. Hall said they are also looking at sound sensors that can be placed in different areas.
The letter argues that Fairview Barn will have a positive economic impact for the city, bringing overnight guests to local hotels, restaurants and wedding-related businesses like caterers, flower shops, and more.
According to the letter, Ward and Hall have lived in Maine most of their lives. Hall spent 15 years in the hospitality industry, most recently helping to plan, cater and manage over 100 events for catering companies at wedding venues throughout Maine.
“Creating a wedding barn venue has been her dream for many years,” it states, adding that the pair collaborated on a 160-person wedding on Peaks Island, where they “discovered a shared passion.”
A legal notice posted by the city says the Planning Board will hold a hearing on the proposal Jan. 9, but the agenda has not yet been posted.
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