Warren's Lobster House redevelopment plan revised. Here's why new marina is out.

KITTERY, Maine — The proposal to demolish Warren’s Lobster House and redevelop the landmark Water Street property has been revised to now include a new lobster pound instead of a 20-slip marina.

Green & Company Real Estate last week submitted preliminary site plan and shoreland development plan applications for the proposal, which was first reviewed by the Kittery Planning Board in August.

Warren’s Lobster House has been owned by the Cunningham family for years. Green & Company Real Estate holds a purchase and sale agreement on the 9-13 Water St. property where the 350-seat restaurant, Chrissy D. Lobster Company and a duplex residence are located.

The original proposal called for all of the property’s existing structures to be demolished and replaced with eight condominiums alongside a 20-slip marina and a new wharf system.

Lobster pound helps new proposal comply with Kittery town code

The revised proposal still seeks approval to demolish all the current structures on the property, save for a portion of the wharves and docks, and to build eight condominium units, according to town planning director Jason Garnham.

But the proposed 20-slip marina has been replaced with a new 1,200-square-foot lobster pound, which aligns with the working waterfront element outlined in town code.

“The property is in Kittery’s Commercial Fisheries/ Maritime Uses zoning overlay, where ‘functionally water-dependent commercial fisheries/ marine activities’ are the only permitted/conforming uses,” Garnham, the planning director, noted in an email. “The town’s position is that the current lobster pound business (Chrissy D’s) is a conforming use and that any redevelopment of the site must therefore retain a working waterfront (conforming) use in accordance with the applicable regulations. I believe plans were revised to include a lobster pound in response to town code/ feedback. The applicant may have other reasons, but I am not privy to them.”

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Green & Company has not specified a tenant that would occupy the lobster pound, he added.

An edited site plan filed with the town shows the new lobster pound located directly next to the Memorial Bridge and Route 1 roadway passing by Warren’s. The locations of each proposed condominium have not changed from the first edition of the proposal, said Garnham.

Each of the eight condominiums proposed would have a 1,400-square-foot footprint and would be listed for ownership.

There are 24 proposed parking spaces on the site associated with the residential component of the project, in addition to seven more spaces for the proposed lobster pound.

The square footage among all existing buildings on the site totals 17,189 square feet, per the revised proposal prepared by Ambit Engineering, Inc. in Portsmouth. The new buildings proposed would combine for a 13,228-square-foot total, if approved.

The Kittery Planning Board is scheduled to review the changes to the plan on Dec. 14.

Green & Company founder and president Rick Green did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday.

Warren's owners have hinted at possible new location

Warren’s Lobster House, founded as a six-stool lobster stand in 1940 by Warren “Pete” Wurm, has remained open for business since the redevelopment proposal was filed with the town.

In August, the Cunningham family released a message to the public noting they would still list the property for sale in the future if Green & Company Real Estate withdrew from the purchase and sale agreement. But the family revealed it would not sell the business’ intellectual property or the right to potentially operate it at a different location in the future.

“We plan to continue operating (Warren’s Lobster House) well into 2024, and we hope that all of you will continue to dine with us as often as possible,” the Cunningham family statement said in part. “Should the prospective buyer decide to not move forward, it is still our intention to list the property for sale because ultimately it is no longer sustainable to operate and maintain a building located on a pier over the water.”

“We are still considering all options. A very good parallel to future possibilities would be the re-opening of The Golden Egg- a longtime favorite in Portsmouth,” the family’s statement continued. “The Golden Egg reopened recently on Mirona Road, and they are using all of the original recipes that their fans grew to love during their 40 years in operation at their original location.”

The Cunningham family - Scott and Claudia Cunningham and their children, Brad Cunningham and Colleen MacDonald - have owned the business outright since 2006. Before that, the family had co-owned the business with a partner starting in 1984.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Warren's Lobster House redevelopment plan changes