The potential sale of the iconic bowling alley in Boothbay Harbor was open for public discussion during a special meeting of the Boothbay Harbor Planning Board on Sept. 29. A large swath of the Boothbay harbor business community packed the town hall to hear a preliminary request by 8 Wharf St LLC to create four residential units in the space currently occupied by Romar Bowling Lanes, a 16,000-square-foot lot located in the downtown section known as the By-Way. The debate pivots on a previous town ordinance which places a limit of 10,000 square feet per dwelling unit for downtown construction and allows for strict density limits to be placed on downtown development. At a previous regular meeting of the planning board on Sept. 14, the Knickerbocker Group approached the board with preliminary plans on how to reuse the bowling alley, widely considered a landmark, purchased (corrected from earlier post) in 1946 by Leslie Marr and his son-in-law Charlie Rowe.

“Tonight’s meeting is designed to accommodate their schedule in regard to moving forward with the purchase of the property,” said Board Chairman Tom Churchill. “At this point we do not have an application, it’s simply a discussion about ordinance issues and interpretations.”

Representing 8 Wharf St LLC, Knickerbocker Group’s Randy Smith told the board he was hoping the buyer would have the flexibility to use the building as it’s always been used by the Rowe sisters, the current owners of the bowling alley.

“With a formal application we would be applying for proposed change of uses and development,” said Smith. “It’s the continuance and transference of the existing uses based on the zoning ordinance.”

According to Smith, there are currently eight existing uses for the building, all conforming in the current district. The uses include a retail establishment, indoor recreation, a restaurant, a marina, parking facilities, professional use for property care, and accessory storage. The plan would have the flexibility for three commercial spaces with an exterior walkway to a designated green space. The second floor of the structure would have a residential duplex.

“We would be looking for six uses,” said Smith. “The parking and marina would remain unchanged with the addition of three commercial spaces and a duplex.”

Since the death of Charles Rowe in 2011, the bowling alley has been largely dormant save for hosting events during the Windjammer Days Festival. The business owners present included Cannery owner Clifton Cane, who spoke of the history behind the 10,000-square-foot designation under review.

“Back in the 1980s, if Dabney (Lewis, former Boothbay Harbor code enforcement officer) let you do it, it was ok,” said Cane. “Gradually we got more sophisticated as the years went by with planning and codes. The 10,000 square feet was a very quick and arbitrary number to exclude people buying downtown buildings and turning them into residential accommodations from the ground up.”

The 8 Wharf St LLC group is led by Rahul Anand of Fairfield, Connecticut who recently purchased a building on 8 Wharf Street and revamped the structure, which now houses Seawick’s Candle Company and a second floor apartment.

According to Smith, the Knickerbocker Group plans to submit official development and and change of use applications for a planning board review in October. 

“We still have questions but feel we received the appropriate direction from the board for a workshop level presentation,” said Smith after the meeting. “We are thankful for the planning board’s willingness to schedule the additional workshop meeting in order to continue the discussion and felt it was a very productive, positive and informative meeting. We are also pleased to see so many local business owners attend the meeting and vocalize their support of the revitalization of the bowling alley as well as the future economic development of downtown Boothbay Harbor. “

 The asking price for the Romar building is $1,595,000 with a sale listed as pending, according to the Maine Real Estate Network.