A group of Davis Island condominium owners has asked two men planning an office and other projects on Edgecomb's Route 1 to become their rental agents.

The Sheepscot Harbor Village & Resort Condominium group asked developer Tony Casella and his View Development partner, Wayne Wright, to be their rental agent. The action was confirmed October 17, when the association's executive board voted to ask another Casella and Wright company, T & W Management, be its rental agent, board president Mike Hynes confirmed.

The arrangement, effective January 1, does not bind association members to use T & W when renting out their homes, Hynes said.

Either T & W or the association's current rental agent, JSMM Property Management, could meet homeowners' needs, Hynes said.

But T & W has the “added value” of having development rights in the area known as the “View,” which neighbors the “Village,” he said. “I'm very positive about the synergy we can develop,” Hynes said.

The current rental agents John Smigielski and Mark McGuy, said business is good and predicted it will stay that way. In fact, 41 homeowners in the Village and the View plan to stick with them, the men said.

The proposed rental office is the first project Casella said he and Wright plan to build on their new Route 1 property, the site of an old bagel shop. They will now apply for a permit to build their previously announced restaurant, Casella said. The soonest it might open would be next spring, because unlike the office, it needs public sewer access, he said.

Selectmen are planning a Nov. 19 special town meeting to fund engineering work for sewer access in that part of town. The options, which were already being eyed before the restaurant came up, may either build a pumping station, or take over and upgrade the association's existing station, selectmen have said.

The Casella rental office got the Edgecomb Planning Board's 4-1 approval October 18. A building permit was pending a few changes View Development's consultant agreed to make. At a public hearing that night, consultant Karl Olson said the building would have two or three employees, one toilet and two washing machines. That wouldn't ordinarily pull in a crowd, but a dozen people, including Smigielski and McGuy, had questions about the septic system and other items. McGuy also brought up View Development's planned restaurant, which would be located near neighbor his and Smigielski's existing restaurant, the Davis Island Grill.

A soil scientist has found the existing septic system adequate for the office, Planning Board Chairman Jack French said.

Casella hopes the board will start discussing the proposed restaurant in November.

Susan Johns can be reached at 844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.