HomeMy WebLinkAbout9-24-2025 - Lt Susan Rome ParkingTo Karen Pina, James Kupfer, Andy Clyburn, Mark Ells, Betty Ludtke and the
members of the Planning and Development Board,
Karen, please distribute this email to the entire Planning Board.
I also request that the Chair, Stephen Robichaud to specifically read this
letter into the Record.
Thank you.
I attended and spoke at the 9/22/2025 Planning Board meeting. I heard some
respectful, smart and helpful comments on every side of the presented issues. Again, I
am a homeowner for 44 years on a small street in West Hyport.I have watched my
street deteriorate because of out- of -control investor rentals and the vehicles belonging
to those rentals. Also on my street, a house owned by an LLC off Cape for the purpose
of running a large business hauling stones from Nantucket to be distributed from this
home with up to four large white box vans going to the ferries to pick up and distributing
these stones around to Cape clients. They admit they bought this house for its
closeness to the harbor. I think my situation here is an extreme example but shows the
slippery slope we will fall into without a clear new code/ordinance. I think West Hyport
may be the worst area for the offending deterioration of homes and abuse of any current
unenforced codes. The homes are generally very small here, on less than ¼ acre,
having small frontage, forcing these commercial vehicles and cars stand out and park
anywhere they feel like. They hate piggybacking in whatever driveway they do have.
I ran out of speaking time. I wanted to include a solution that is a win-win. Thank
goodness 2 others after me presented the same idea I had. That is, that the Town find
land to build lots for Commercial Vehicles for small businesses and others who need to
store large commercial equipment, etc. Also, deals can be made, perhaps with the Mall
and other existing business to partner with, to provide areas on their lots for permits for
overnight parking with nominal, reasonable fees. WIN-WIN Do it.
NOTE: All of this building of apartments , such as the 120 on Main Street creates a
bigger parking problem. In downtown Hyannis. It solves no problem for hard working
small businesses for whom these apartments are useless.
With this in mind, please consider my questions and recommendations.
1. There is a Code or Ordinance requirement outlining the ratio of hardscape
to landscape allowed on the frontage of a home. See Rental Properties
Chapter 170-9 I also believe this pertain to homeowners as well. If not, it must.
Please Consider:
What is the exact definition of hardscape? Is it a bunch of pebbles thrown down?
This will have to be CLEARLY defined. Find and read the current code.
Continued from p.1
Reality:
The existing code/ordinance is never enforced in W. Hyport. Even someone with
just 1 car and a truck parks the truck OR the car on the grass so they don’t have
to piggyback and juggle vehicles. Investor owners who rent out, do not care to
upgrade their hardscape to accommodate the number of vehicles owners would
be allowed. I am wondering how many owners of homes who run small
businesses, park on their hardscape only?
Please consider:
If there is not enough allowance for hardscape, on a lot, then ONLY the number
of vehicles which can fit on allowable hardscape should be allowed to park. In the
front of a home. There is no need to get into tape measures (a big issue
brought forth at the 9/22/25 meeting). You CANNOT create requirements
universally, when some of them have 2 acres of land and others, like me, have ¼
acre. I don’t see that there would be much disagreement with the fairness of
these considerations.
2. There is a code/ordinance requiring a registration form from all owners
who rent out their homes. Chapter 170 Rental Properties 170-3.4.5.6.7. Oners
are to provide information to the Town on pertinent information for every tenant and
I assume their vehicles (?) They are to provide same information for any changes in
tenants. Health Department is supposed to follow up on these rentals by a
physical inspection of the home so that they meet the ratios of square footage
and number of bedrooms and bathrooms to determine the number of tenants
that would be allowed. Who could deny there are many good reasons for this rule.
Would some say this is also an incursion on their rights as property owners???
Reality:
Over-occupancy exists all over W Hyport. This is another factor that leads to the
“overoccupancy “ of vehicles. Over occupancy is supposed to be managed by
the Health Dept. I have spoken many times to the Building Inspector and the
Health Department. The Health Dept admittedly has hardly any staff to enforce
any code.The few Inspectors we have for the entire seven villages are clearly not
capable of handling the volume of legitimate complaints of the homeowners while
also watching over the massive amounts of Construction this Town has allowed.
Please Consider:
What will you do about enforcing any ordinance that is created? The Budget
Planning Committee MUST include providing more employees for both the
Page 3 continued
Health Dept and the Inspection Department. If not addressed there might as
well not be any codes /rules/ordinances at all.
In summary, you have a huge responsibility and undertaking to get this right.
I don’t envy you.
I think any future Rules/Codes/Ordinances I refer to regarding frontage hardscape
allowances and rental occupancy and vehicle limitations along with the current
scattered ordinances should be combined together into a succinct proposal.
Susan Rome
68 Greenbrier Lane
Hyannis
617-678-9045