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Attorney seeks approval for Red Horse Inn expansion; planning board continues hearing pending engineering fixes
Summary
Attorney Kevin Clower presented revisions for a proposed expansion of the Red Horse Inn at 28 Falmouth Heights Road that would grow the property from 26 to 34 rooms and add a pool and new building. The planning board said outstanding engineering, drainage and parking circulation issues must be resolved and continued the hearing for further review.
Kevin Clower, an attorney for 28 Falmouth Heights Road LLC, told the Falmouth Planning Board on June 9 that revised plans for the Red Horse Inn address prior engineering referrals and aim to expand the existing hotel from 26 rooms to 34 rooms, add a new building and a pool, and reorganize the parking layout.
"Presently, the Red Horse Inn has 26 rooms located in three separate buildings," Clower said. He added that the most recent filing reduces a proposed 14-room building to eight rooms and that the submitted plan shows 38 parking spaces — meeting the bylaw requirement of 1.1 spaces per room for 34 rooms.
Board members pressed the applicant on several technical items that remain unresolved. Tom (the board clerk) said he was concerned about the driveway slope and how surface water will drain into the street; Jim and other members emphasized that outstanding engineering comments must be fully addressed or made conditions of any approval. The applicant confirmed additional drainage mitigation measures and said structural bollards will be provided between parking and a check-in building, and that more landscaping has been added along the frontage.
Clower asked the board to consider conditioning remaining engineering items to be satisfied prior to building permit issuance or administratively prior to final sign-off. Several members counseled that engineering typically must sign off before a building permit is issued and recommended that the applicant submit corrected plans for formal review. "We can work through any of those outstanding comments with engineering," Clower said.
After discussion the board directed staff to draft a positive decision motion subject to satisfactory responses to the remaining engineering referrals and continued the special-permit/site-plan hearing to a future meeting so members can review revised plans and the engineering referral responses.
Why it matters: The project would enlarge a longstanding inn in the Falmouth Heights area, add guest rooms and amenities, and requires coordinating planning, engineering and building-department review. The board’s conditions on drainage, parking circulation and structural details will determine how quickly the project can proceed.
Next steps: The applicant will submit revised plans addressing the board and engineering comments; the hearing will remain open and the board will review engineering responses and a draft decision at the continued meeting.
