LUDLOW, Vt. – The Ludlow Development Review Board (DRB) held a hearing at their Feb. 13 meeting for an application by Okemo Heights LLC for a conditional use permit to convert a multi-family house in the village residential district into a rooming house.
It was explained that when the house was purchased it was sold and advertised as a seven bedroom, but after going into the property it was discovered that there were 14 bedrooms spread among the three units of the house. The current owner wanted to alert the town of this so it can be brought up to code. The board explained that the only real change needed was the building’s relationship to the town sewer and water plan.
Members of the board discussed the different potential uses for the building that could best fit the plan of the owners to use the building as workforce housing for Okemo. The term originally proposed was “rooming house,” but the town’s definition of such does not allow any building with more than eight bedrooms. Board Chair Phil Carter explained that the term “tourist house” could fit what the property owners want, a tourist house does not have a limit on bedrooms. Carter also explained that they need to be careful what they do allow on the property, as the next owners will be able to do whatever they want on the property as long as it follows the language of the permits.
Citizens Paul Alcorn and Richard Duncy spoke on their concerns with the planned changes. Alcorn explained that through this the town is losing another multi-family home. He mentioned how the median home price in Ludlow is $4-500,000, and yet the town is trying to hire someone for the police and highway department, at salaries that could not afford a home of that price. Alcorn asked the board how these decisions can get made with the vision and goals of the town in mind and not in the vacuum of an individual permit application.
Carter explained that it is actually the planning commission who has to look at the vision of the town, they sets the rules and regulations that the DRB must act as judge on. The DRB is there to make sure all applicable rules and regulations are being followed and all needed boxes are checked, it is not their job to question the legitimacy of these regulations. The DRB acts as a judge and has no authority to make decisions subjectively.
Duncy asked if a “tourist home” was an allowable use in the village residential district. The board said they were not sure, Zoning Assistant Cherry Nicoll said she thought it was. Duncy mentioned the plan of Okemo Heights LLC to put three beds in each of the 14 rooms, putting 42 people in one house, in a residential neighborhood. He asked the board if the effect of this on the neighborhood was being considered. Carter explained that every aspect of the plan will be gone over and explained at later hearings on the topic, including the character of the surrounding neighborhood. The board instructed the applicant to have a full plan drawn out by March’s meeting.
Alcorn brought up the current state of the Pettigrew Inn, which neighbors his property. The inn was sold last year and has been operating as some form of a boarding house since then, housing an undetermined number of people and being managed by a corporation. He spoke of trash pilling up, their dumpster being constantly full, and the overall lack of oversight from the property owners. He wanted to know who he was supposed to go to about these sort of issues. The board explained that he should go to the town, if in fact the property was in some form of violation. Alcorn asked what the inn was permitted for after it was sold. The board said there was no change of use for the inn that came before them in the past year. Nicoll added that this was the first she had heard about the inn as well. The board explained that this avoidance of proper regulations by property owners is more common than you’d think. Nicoll said Alcorn could bring his grievances to her at the town office the next day so they could figure this out.
The development review board meets the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the Ludlow Town Hall.