KENNEBUNK — A pair of firms that had lobbied for permission to build a luxury hotel on the banks of the Kennebunk River have withdrawn their request for a contract zone, said Kennebunk’s Director of Community Development, Chris Osterrieder.

If it had been approved ”“ first by selectmen, then by residents via ballot in November ”“ the contract zone would have allowed the entities to circumvent Kennebunk zoning ordinances in building a 17,000-square-foot hotel near Federal Jack’s restaurant, behind an 18-slip marina on the river, and across from Dock Square in Kennebunkport.

But when Bateman Partners, LLC of Portland and Hart Hotels Inc. of New York approached the Kennebunk Planning Board last week, the firms ”“ operating jointly as Kennebunk Harbor Hotel, LLC ”“ were met with significant opposition from residents of both Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, many of whom claimed the proposed site of the hotel is already too congested.

Calls to Bateman Partners were not returned by press time. Osterrieder couldn’t comment on whether residents’ reaction to the proposal contributed to the firm’s withdrawal of the contract zone request.

David Bateman, a principal with Bateman Partners, said at the planning board meeting last week that his company has built a number of luxury hotels similar to the one that had been proposed in Kennebunk, including the Portland Harbor Hotel in the Old Port. The Kennebunk project would have included 80 hotel rooms as well as a restaurant and six condominium units.

The two parcels that were considered for the development are in coastal residential and resource protection zones, along with shoreland overlay.

On a website called “Save the Kennebunks,” several seasonal and year-round residents posted comments blasting the proposed development. Many argued that scenery and traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, would suffer.

“This is outrageous,” posted Janice Payne. “Kennebunk and The Port are gradually, one building at a time, losing the charm that made them such a tourist destination.”

“This proposal would ruin the atmosphere and quaint feeling to Kennebunkport,” posted Brenda Beck. “We have been vacationing in Kennebunkport for the past 30 years and hope to purchase a home there within the next five years. This may certainly affect our decision as to where we would be purchasing a summer home. Please do not let this pass.”

Last week, Bateman said that the town would be the recipient of several benefits of the project, including needed guest facilities, the creation of year-round jobs, and an easement for pedestrian access to the waterfront.

Several people met those claims with skepticism, including Richard Morin, a Kennebunk selectman, who also posted a comment on the “Save the Kennebunks” website, siding with residents in their opposition to the venture.

“I am sorry, residents of Kennebunk, that this mess was ever allowed to be presented,” wrote Morin. “It is a disgrace and insult to the good citizens of this town. Poorly designed, with not one traditional standard proposed. Parking, traffic, setbacks, height, invasion into sensitive natural resources ”“ it has it all. Our planning department should have shut this down before it started.”

Resident Robert Lyons wrote that the firms’ withdrawal was “vindication” of grassroots efforts to oppose the development.

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.