Editorial An Appeal to theZB of Appeals Two weeks ago, in front of a standing-room-only crowd, the Village of Cooperstown Zoning Board of Appeals considered and ultimately denied, unanimously, the application of Adam Curley for a short-term rental permit for four of the five bedrooms in Mark and Margaret Curley’s newly-acquired house at 40 Lake Street. The Curleys, who live in Massapequa Park, New York, on the south shore of Long Island, did not attend the meeting although Mark Curley’s…
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Letter from Beth Glynn Open Letter to Coop Board and ZBA My husband and I own 41 Lake Street, the Crooked House, and One Chestnut, which is located at the corner of Lake and Chestnut streets. The Crooked House is directly across the street from 40 Lake, and One Chestnut is separated from the Crooked House by only 43 Lake. We are extremely exposed to the goings on at 40 Lake. We bought the Crooked House in 2016 and have…
Letter from Wayne Grandner Decision by Coop ZBAMuch Appreciated I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for your recent decision to reject the application for a four room short-term rental at 40 Lake Street. The application was clearly an attempt to establish a commercial enterprise in a residential part of Cooperstown, and your decision to reject it was the right one. I have concerns that the applicant may attempt to circumvent your decision by applying for a single room…
Letter from Jim Howarth Character of VillageMust Be Preserved Last week, the Cooperstown Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously turned down a special use permit for the owners of 40 Lake Street to allow short-term rental tenants. I am writing to thank the ZBA for their decision. While one cannot know the motivation for the board’s decision, it seems obvious that the regulation that such rentals must be an “incidental use” to the property played a part. Their proposal would have…
Letter from Chip Northrup STR Loophole a Real Concern We greatly appreciate the Zoning Board’s unanimous rejection of the absentee owner’s attempt to turn 40 Lake Street into a transient rooming house. Transient housing would have ruined the neighbors’ quiet enjoyment of their homes. Susan Snell has proven to be an excellent chairman of the zoning board.…
Letter from Celia Oxley ZBA Correct in 40 Lake Decision There was much public opposition to the granting of a Special Use Permit for short-term rentals at 40 Lake Street. The Zoning Board of Appeals was correct to deny the permit at a hearing on March 7. From the board’s discussion after the hearing was closed to the public, it seemed that the issue of incidental use was paramount to their decision to deny. The village zoning laws require short-term…
The Partial Observer by William Waller Village Residents OpposeShort-term Rental Plans for40 Lake Street with Good Reason The Village of Cooperstown has changed and is still changing. Fifty years ago, there was one baseball souvenir store and house prices were reasonable. Houses were homes to families; kids walked to school and played in the parks. Things change and that change brought more and more visitors, capitalizing on the nearby baseball camps, the rise of tourism in the entire region, and…