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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit E - 07-10-86 - The Register, Page 5Neighborhoods stunned as lodging houses rise By Elaine McArdle "Noone 'shappy about it.It doesn 'tfitin."Young Mar- sha Medeiros was referring to a large house across the street from the home on Linden Street ,Hyannis which she shares with her parents."Allthe other houses around here are for families." Echoed Mary Knudsen ,who lives next door to the house , "Itreally is out of place.The neighbors are upset.I can 'trca- ly say anything about the looks of the house ,but it 'sjust what they are putting in there." Finishing touches are being placed on the pretty 12-room , seven-bath house at 79 Linden.Although from the outside it looks like an average if oversized -family home ,the neighbors are worried the structure is planned as a lodging house with up to six boarders. Their fears are well-founded ,they say,because Dale Crowder is the owner of the house.Crowdcr recently built a similar structure on Potter Street.After it was completed ,he applied for a lodging house license ,but was turned down by selectmen. Chris Arvanitas 'elderly parents live across from Crowder 'sPotter Street house."Theguy shouldn 'thave built it,"he said."Thebuilding takes up almost the whole lot.It doesn 'tconform with the neig hborhood."Arvanitas points to the front door of the house."Ithas seven doorbells.It 'salmost like a motel.It 'sanice building, tastefully done ,but it 'ssmack in the middle of a residential area ,where retired people live.If you let this guy get away wit h it ,you 'llseethis kind of building everywhere." As real estate prices continue to escalate on Cape Cod , providing affordable housing for low-and mid-income residents becomes a serious problem.One possible solution is the lodging house. Traditionally,lodging houses have been regular family homes in which extra bedrooms are rented out to boarders. Lately,however ,lodging houses have come to mean something else:large ,multi-bedroom and multi-bathroom structures built specifically to be rented out to less-than- permanent dwellers. Barnstable is getting more and more requests to license new lodging houses.Although town officials recognize a need for affordable housing,residents aren 'tresponding favorably to huge boarding houses being erected in quiet family areas. On a quiet street Dale Crowder created quite a stir on Potter Street.After building the nine-bedroom ,multi-bathroom structure ,with showers in the four-car garage ,Crowder asked selectmen for a license for six lodgers. Potter Street residents appeared en masse in May to op- pose Crowder 'srequest ,questioning why so many bedrooms and baths were needed if only six lodgers were to live there . Selectmen agreed the house was "somethingof a monstrosi- ty,"as Selectman Marty Flynn termed it ,and denied Crowder 'srequest . "Weopposed it ,"said Lee Burke June 26."I've lived here 37 years.This is a nice ,quiet street ." There is a similar uproar on Greenwood Avenue ,Hyan- nis.A quiet ,tree-lined neighborhood where children play in the streets and small ,one-story family homes are the rule , traffic is slow and residents like it that way. But at 48 Greenwood ,a large ,two-story house is under construction ,a house which is the focus of neighborhood anger.It sits behind a tali wooden fence on which "Keep Out "and "Private"signs are nailed.Ronald R.Beaty,Jr., is building the 1353-square-foot house at an estimated cost of $45 ,000,according to the building permit. Residents say the gray structure ,with its tiny windows and barn-like appearance ,doesn 'tfitin aesthetically.They say the structure is a lodging house and has always been intended as a lodging house ,not a family home.They say Beaty 'sreal desire is not to create a living space for his family,but to make money by renting rooms to less-than-permanent residents. Yet Beaty can do that.Under Barnstable bylaws anyone can rent out up to three bedrooms in his house.If someone wants to rent more than three rooms ,he can do that too ,for up to six lodgers ,if he gets a license from selectmen. Completely legal Barnstable bylaws allow these lodging houses in six of nine residential zones ,according to Building Inspector Joe Daluz. And unless someone breaks the law -by renting out to more than six people ,for example ,or by equipping the house with more than one kitchen so it 'snolonger a "lodginghouse " but is an illegal "mother-in-law"apartment -there 's nothing anyone can do. No matter how much neighbors dislike the way it looks , no matter how much the ^lodging house disturbs the single- family character of an area ,it 'spermitted under zoning laws. Perhaps most disturbing to some persons is the fact there 's no requirement the owner live in the house with the people to whom he rents rooms. Points out building inspector Daluz ,"You'regoing to see more of it ,because the bylaw permits it.Unless voters change the law ,there 'snothing we can do.We can only en- force the rules and regulations as they stand now." Daluz has inspected the Beaty house on a number of occa- sions.Although neighbors say more thin 12 persons are liv- ing there ,Daluz has found ,at.most ,eviderfce of three lodgers plus the Beaty family -completely legal under town laws . Beaty did not return several phone messages left by The Register at his home and work numbers. Even though zoning laws allow someone to build a multi- bedroom ,multi-bath house ,a builder must still get permis- sion from selectmen to rent to four or more lodgers.That decision is purely discretionary on the board 'spart.Where aesthetics can 'tbeconsidered with regard to zoning,they may be in the licensing process. "Youdo consider the size and whether it fits in with the neighborhood ,whether it 'scomplementary or.un- complementary."Selectman Marty Flynn said June 24 he believes Crowder 'sPotter Street house does not fit in."It's somewhat overwhelming.When you have 14 p arking spaces and a forty by eighty foot house on a 10,000 square foot lot , all you have is a house and parking." Flynn says his May decision to disallow it was also based on Crowder 's"vagueness"in answering questions about why he needed "suchalarge facility."As well ,although Crowder told selectmen he intended to live in the house it was also up for sale on the real estate market ,Flynn said. He added ,"Theselodging houses are something we'vegot to address.There 'sanexplosion of them around town.Peo- ple don 'twant to wake up one morning to find a huge building in the midst of a neighborhood. "Onthe other hand ,we have a serious problem with af- fordable housing.That 'stheother side of the coin ,and we all recognize it." Gambling on a license Crowder gambled that his 1740-square-foot Potter Street structure ,which cost him $90,000 to build according to town hall records but was advertised for sale at $350 ,000,would receive a lodging house license.He lost.Now he 'smaking the same gamble on the two-story Linden Street structure.Plans for the house show two decks ,seven bathrooms ,and several "livingunits "shaped like bedrooms in addition to nine Continued on next page Exhibit E