Plummer Lane resident Adam Batchelder stands on his property that abuts a 37-acre town-owned parcel purchased in the 1970s for conservation. Now that the select board has declined an offer by another abutter to purchase a portion of the property, municipal officials are meeting with Kennebunk Land Trust and others to develop a plan for the future that may include a townwide vote later this year. Tammy Wells photo

KENNEBUNK – In January, the select board decided against asking voters if they wish to sell what has been described as a “slice” of a larger town-owned land parcel off Plummer Lane to an abutter.

As it turns out, the land in question, which bumps up to the rear of several homes on the short, quiet, dead-end road, is part of a larger acquisition in the mid-1970s that was obtained specifically to prevent it from being developed.

The intent all those years ago was conservation, about 37 acres, said Tom Murphy, a member of the Kennebunk Planning Board at the time. Murphy, a retired teacher, former Maine legislator and Kennebunk Landing resident, spoke to the select board at a Jan. 11 meeting.

Now, there are ongoing conversations with the Community Development Department, Kennebunk Land Trust and others, to determine next steps.

Plummer Lane is home to Wonder Brook Park, also called Wonder Brook/Murphy Preserve. According to Kennebunk Land Trust, it includes one town-owned tract and two land trust properties totaling nearly 80 acres. A 2.5-mile trail at the end of Plummer Lane winds through forest and fern beds to the banks of the Kennebunk River, according to the trust, which has described the trail as a “quiet, picturesque oasis.”

Plummer Lane residents want to make sure the town-owned parcel remains conserved, and several made a presentation at a public hearing in January.

The 37-acre town-owned piece includes a strip, or slice of land behind several homes on Plummer Lane that has been eyed with a view to a future development. A portion of the slice is said to be part of the town-owned portion of Wonder Brook Park. Community development Director Chris Osterrieder told the select board in late December that the owner of nearby property wanted to use the slice of land as a buffer for development. Osterrieder said the owner of the property, known locally as the former grain station on Summer Street, hoped to build a multi-family affordable housing development.

Kennebunk Land Trust owns part of Wonder Brook Park, established at the end of Plummer Lane following an attempt by a developer to build a large subdivision in the area in the mid-1970s. The town acquired a 37-acre parcel in the vicinity at the same time, intended for conservation. Recently, an abutter proposed purchasing a slice of the town-owned parcel to augment land he owns for a potential affordable housing project, but after hearing the history of the property, the select board declined. Dan King photo

Osterrieder, at the time, said there was little information available on how the town had acquired the land.

“They want to utilize the land to help give them the buffer,” said Osterrieder, who was seeking direction from the select board.

That brought back memories to Murphy, who laid out in a subsequent select board meeting what transpired in the 1970s, when a developer envisioned a large “Levittown” style development in the area.

At the Jan. 11 session, Murphy said the town had a three-year battle with IT & T, then the ninth largest company in the United States, which had plans for an estimated 500 house lots. The Conservation Commission, led by members Madelyn Marx, Charles Cole and Ed Winston, worked to see that did not happen, and their efforts culminated in municipal land purchases and the establishment of a trust that later became known as Kennebunk Land Trust.

Marx, in the 1975 town report, summed up the intention behind the 37-acre town purchase, Murphy said, quoting from the document: “It is intended to be forever a wilderness, wildlife preserve, producing some timber through forest management. Nature trails with picnic tables on the Kennebunk River will be the only intrusion of nature.”

The interested party, identified by residents as David Gould, said he was willing to purchase the slice himself or in concert with the property owners, according to municipal records.

Tammy Wells photo

Plummer Lane residents have said that they realize there is a lack of affordable housing in Kennebunk and in southern Maine in general.

“We feel that even though the developer only wanted to have the town carve off a small portion of the broader parcel, that doing this would set a terrible precedent,” for conservation land, said Plummer Lane resident Adam Batchelder.

Several select board members have expressed similar views.

“I feel we would be doing a disservice to the people who put the energy and effort into preserving all of Wonder Brook Park for what it is,” said select board member Kortney Nedeau at the Jan. 11 meeting.

“The only way we can honor this land, to allow residents of Kennebunk to enjoy it, is to give it over to the land trust,” said select board member Sally Carpenter at a later session. “I think we should allow residents of Kennebunk to vote on it.”

“I fully support the idea of consolidating the land under a single umbrella,” said select board member Shiloh Schulte.

Nedeau said she supported moving the parcel to the land trust and pointed out the abutter interested in development still has that opportunity on land he currently owns.

Osterrieder pointed out that while intended for conservation, the town retains development rights of the 37-acre parcel and, while the ultimate goal may be to convey the land for conservation, it has a value to the town. He pointed out the town had budgeted $120,000 in fees for wetlands impacts as part of a proposed public services department upgrade. He said the town can still accomplish its goal, but should look at how to meet its own needs at the same time.

Baldwin told the board he would like to explore the creation of a river walk, connecting Rotary Park to the Rachel Carson Visitors Center, due to open on Brown Street in 2023.

On a recent weekday afternoon, Plummer Lane was quiet.

Baldwin, who drove down the lane to check in with residents, cited the get-together that includes municipal departments and the land trust, and said the conversation has begun. He said any forthcoming plan might not meet deadlines for a June vote, so the board is targeting a November ballot for any question for voters.