Planning board grants final approval for Union Bluff Hotel expansion with conditions

The York Planning Board voted 5‑0 to grant final approval July 23 for the Union Bluff Hotel expansion at 8 Beach Street, allowing a 41‑room addition (bringing the hotel to 81 rooms) and construction of a two‑deck parking terrace with 103 spaces, with conditions attached.

Applicant project manager Zachary Stevens told the board the submission included updated plans and that the gravel lot across the street (17 spaces) will be treated as part of the project. “This is the Union Bluff Hotel…from 40 rooms to, a a total of 81 rooms,” Stevens said during the presentation. The board’s approval conditions require town staff and peer reviewers to verify the new materials accepted at the meeting and add a note requiring that “truck loading and deliveries, including trash pickup, shall only occur between 7 AM and 8 PM.”

Board members pressed the applicant about off‑site parking enforcement and erosion in the gravel lot. Stevens pointed to an engineer’s survey (last revised 08/11/2025) and said the applicant added a plan note that the owner must maintain the lot and address erosion. Owner Ryan Amin said valet service and signage will be used to prioritize hotel guests: “We have valet services that manage the parking…to make sure the guests have priority,” he said.

The board also approved, by separate motion, that the project meet York Beach Village design standards and read the new materials into the record after granting a waiver of the town’s 17‑day submission rule. With peer reviewers and town staff to confirm the record, the project may proceed to final plan signing once all conditions are verified.