CAPE ELIZABETH — The Planning Board has taken the first step in its review of a proposal to redevelop Rudy’s on the Cape.

The board voted unanimously Tuesday that the project application is complete. The next steps will include a site walk on Friday, Nov. 18, and a site plan review and public hearing in December.

Owner Paul J. Woods Jr.’s plan, presented by Pat Carroll of Carroll Associates and Phil Kaplan of Kaplan Thompson Architects, is to tear down and rebuild Rudy’s at 517 Ocean House Road. The new restaurant will have 80 seats – 52 inside and 28 in a seasonal, covered porch area.

The existing building is one story and about 2,680 square feet. The proposed restaurant will be about 500 square feet smaller on the first floor and have a 900-square-foot second floor.

Kaplan said the restaurant, which recently reopened after being closed during the ownership transition, will have a mix of booths and tables, an eight-seat bar and a take-out area. The second floor will include office and storage spaces, and a small bathroom.

According to the plan, the restaurant will be moved closer to Davis Point Road and a 40-space parking lot will be constructed. The wide entrance along Ocean House Road will be limited to a single narrow entrance and exit across from Broad Cove Road. There will be a curb, sidewalk and landscaping along the street.

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Kaplan said the building has been designed to have a New England look, with clapboard siding and shingle details, and a lower level of metal siding.

In addition to the changes to the lot, Carroll said Woods is willing to grant a pedestrian easement through the back corner of the property to the Golden Ridge subdivision that will connect to the Great Pond Trail and the Greenbelt Trail system.

While the board’s charge on Tuesday was to consider whether the plan was complete, members also asked Carroll and Kaplan to return with additional information about neighborhood compatibility, the use of metal siding and signs.

Morris Kreitz, who lives on Ocean House Road, told the board he thinks the retail building is a “pretty vague concept” and “an unknown.” He urged the board to separate the two phases and consider the second phase only when a tenant is identified or a specific use is determined.

The site walk at 517 Ocean House Road is scheduled for 7:30 a.m.

Amy Anderson can be reached at 781-3661 ext,. 110 or aanderson@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @amy_k_anderson.

Sidebar Elements


A new proposal is before the Cape Elizabeth Planning Board to renovate and redesign Rudy’s on the Cape and build a retail store. The restaurant would seat up to 80 people, have a seasonal porch, and a second story for office and storage space. The windows face Old Ocean House Road and the porch faces the parking lot.


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