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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z C O M M E R C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T A project estimated at $3 million to $4 million is underway to redevelop two lots in Kittery into a boutique inn. Plans for Foreside Inn were unanimously approved by the Kittery Planning Board. Winter Holben, an architecture and design firm in Kittery, working with its clients at Madbury Real Estate Ventures and other project team members, designed two buildings on two adjacent properties at 27 and 29 Wentworth St. e space at 29 Wentworth St. had been occupied by Enchanted Nights Bed & Breakfast. e building dates to 1890. "We have been invested in Kittery Foreside for a long time and are excited to develop a boutique inn that offers a different level of experience than is cur- rently available in the market," says Taylor McMaster, Madbury's managing partner. Winter Holben provides archi- tecture, interior design and branding services. e project team also includes Altus Engineering in Portsmouth, N.H., and Woodburn & Co. Landscape Architecture in Newmarket, N.H. Portsmouth has already seen devel- opers respond to the demand for hotel rooms, and the city has benefited from hotel development in recent years. It's now starting to spill over to Kittery, across the Piscataqua River. Investment opportunity Madbury Real Estate Ventures is one of three operating companies with Madbury Capital, a private invest- ment firm headquartered in Wakefield, Mass., and specializing in renewable energy and real estate. Madbury Real Estate Ventures is a developer, owner and property manager of boutique hotels, short-term rental properties and student housing in New England. e firm's portfolio includes about 10 short-term rental properties in Maine and New Hampshire, an inn in Salem, Mass., and an inn in Rockport, Mass., that's in development, also with Winter Holben. Madbury already has properties in Kittery Foreside, including a multifam- ily and commercial buildings. Enchanted Nights had been operat- ing as a hotel for over 30 years, until the property transferred to Madbury last August, according to McMaster. "is is property we had our eyes on for a long time," he said. "We love the Kittery Foreside area and saw this as a great opportunity for investment." Advantages of the location include proximity to the downtown neighbor- hood, known as Kittery Foreside. e area includes coffee shops, boutiques and restaurants and is directly across the Piscataqua River from downtown Portsmouth. Seamless tech A feature of the inn will be a touch- less technology system. "We will have innkeepers on site, but we'll take a modern approach with the way the system operates," says McMaster, citing features such as check- in and keyless access via mobile app. "For guests, it's a modern take," says McMaster. "ey don't have to call or go to the front desk. ere's no picking up a key card. e whole thing happens seamlessly through the phone." For Madbury, the technology facil- itates property management through remote operations and reduces onsite staffing, he says. A priority was to find a design team based in Kittery. Winter Holben fit the bill. "ey have a great reputation," says McMaster. Financing for the expected project cost of $3 million to $4 million comes from Madbury Capital and Kennebunk Savings Bank. Traditional with contemporary e two lots total about half an acre. e project includes an extensive renovation of the original 1890 build- ing at 29 Wentworth St. e building includes a prominent turret that will be modified as a feature. An adjacent building at 27 Wentworth St. will be demolished and a larger inn building will go up. e second building will occupy a similar placement and scale as a previ- ous inn structure that burned in a fire in 2002. e saltbox form of the sec- ond building will be nestled into the site's somewhat steep grade. Site design includes an elevated lawn area for infiltration with a series of drainage swales to control the water runoff. e design will mix traditional build- ing details with contemporary elements in keeping with the character of the Foreside, said Brandon Holben, a princi- pal architect with Winter Holben. Each inn building will contain 12 rooms and an innkeeper suite that share a similar mix of materials and design features. e project could break ground in early February. Construction is antici- pated to take a year. "Overall, the idea is to have a con- temporary approach to the inn, but still use some traditional details and materials to tie it into the neighbor- hood," says Elisa Winter Holben, Winter Holben's principal and CEO. "at's what we feel is the heart of the Foreside vibe." She adds, "Foreside itself is an eclec- tic mix of building types and construc- tion. It has this really unique character. So we were trying to celebrate that with a mix of approaches to the design." at includes elements that evoke the working waterfront and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, along with artist- crafted materials. "We want it to have that Maine feeling," she says. Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at lschreiber @ mainebiz.biz P H O T O / G E N E V E H O F F M A N P ROV I D E D R E N D E R I N G / W I N T E R H O L B E N KITTERY MOVES into the SPOTLIGHT Portsmouth's quiet Maine neighbor seeing hotel development B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r Wife-and-husband team Elisa Winter Holben and Brandon Holben, of Kittery architecture and design firm Winter Holben, are leading the design of Foreside Inn in Kittery. They're seen here at their project Great Rhythm Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, N.H. Foreside Inn in Kittery will include redesign of a 19th-century building, right, and new construction on an adjacent parcel. F O C U S

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