Why Kennebunk, Maine wants to buy church where Taylor Swift filmed 'Mine' music video

KENNEBUNK, Maine — The town is considering purchasing the former Christ Church on Dane Street, where Taylor Swift once shot a music video.

The Kennebunk Select Board will hold a public hearing about the potential land purchase during its upcoming meeting on March 12.

Town Manager Heather Balser and her staff are seeking approval for a $800,000 purchase-and-sale agreement regarding 6 and 7 Dane Street. They also recommend using $20,000 of the town’s operational contingency fund for the required deposit attached to the agreement.

The property would be used to maintain the existing parking for the town hall as well as an opportunity to lease the former church building.

The cost of the land would be included in the proposed 2025 budget and, therefore, would need voter approval at the annual Town Meeting in June.

The town currently leases parking spaces at 6 Dane St. from the church for those who either work at or visit the town hall on Summer Street, Balser explained in a memo to the Select Board. Purchasing the property would remove the need for the town to negotiate parking accommodations with anyone who would buy the land instead.

The parking lot at 7 Dane St. would help the town meet future parking needs, according to Balser.

“Current parking capacity, even with the current parking arrangement with 6 Dane Street, is maxed out,” Balser wrote in her memo.

Balser said plans to increase municipal staff, to use office space at the town hall more efficiently, and to keep up with a growing community all point to a need for more parking spaces.

If the purchase is approved, the town would complete a request for proposal process to help evaluate how the former historic church building could be used.

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Taylor Swift video makes historic church part of pop culture history

The church and parking lot at 7 Dane Street were put on the market in December for $900,000.

Christ Church started holding services at the Dane Street site in 1921 but vacated the premises in recent years.

The church building itself has been a familiar sight on Dane Street since 1828. It claimed a spot in pop culture history when singer Taylor Swift filmed a wedding scene there for the music video of her hit song “Mine” in the summer of 2010.

Back then, the Rev. Janet Leighninger told the York County Coast Star that a company that scouts film locations had contacted Christ Church and expressed hopes of shooting part of a music video there. Leighninger said she was told it would be a country artist shooting a music video, but she was not told the identity of the artist.

“We wanted to make sure it was appropriate,” Leighninger said.

The singer was, of course, Taylor Swift, who in the 14 years since has emerged as the world’s most famous pop star whose influence has impacted the music and movie industries, presidential politics, and even the National Football League.

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Why purchase is important to Kennebunk?

Kennebunk has had an agreement with the church to use parking spaces at the site for the town hall for a number of years.

The property at 6 Dane St. includes 19 parking spaces, while the one at 7 Dane St. is a vacant lot with 11 spots, according to Balser. Together, the two properties are assessed at nearly $1.4 million.

“The church has indicated they will only sell the two properties together,” Balser noted in her memo.

If the community does not purchase the properties, then there is a risk that a potential 31% of the parking currently available at town hall would be lost, according to Balser.

In her memo, Balser provided alternatives to explore for parking, naming the town-owned land behind the current police station on Summer Street as an example.

However, she said that the site does raise some concerns.

“The proximity of this is well beyond what is typically experienced by staff,” Balser said. “The age and mobility of staff need to be recognized as well as the challenges during inclement weather.”

Balser also said an increase in pedestrian traffic, as more people cross Summer Street than before, could prove disruptive to traffic.

During the Select Board’s discussion of the Dane Street proposal on Feb. 27, member Kevin Therrien thanked Balser for the memo, adding that residents likely will be surprised by what they learn about the situation.

“I think people will be shocked to find out that the town doesn’t own any of the parking spaces out front, or any of those parking spaces at all,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk ME looks to buy church where Taylor Swift filmed video