Planning board grants preliminary approval to 17,600 sq ft Mystery Springs family amusement center

Biddeford planners and the board voted unanimously to grant preliminary site plan review and a conditional-use permit for "Mystery Springs," a proposed 17,600-square-foot indoor amusement center at 532 Elm Street featuring miniature golf, climbing walls and escape rooms. Planner noted coordination with the fire department for three-sided access and recommended preliminary approval contingent on final design revisions.

Applicant Paul Gadbois told the board the site exceeds the ordinance limit for parking/access coverage and requested a waiver, saying "We're at 40.52%." Board members warned that high impervious area could worsen heat-island effects and pressed for a stronger landscape plan and architectural treatments so the building does not read as purely industrial. The board approved preliminary review and directed the applicant to address fire access, landscaping, and stormwater permitting ahead of final submission.