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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4979 33-37 Seaside Village Letter of Opposition 4RECEIVE © To: Town of Yarmouth Zoning Board of Appeals OCT 11 2022 From: Maggie and Ed Smith— 12 Parkwood Road South Yarmouth YARMOUTH BOARD OF APPEALS Date: October 10,2022 We are writing to express our strong opposition to the proposed rezoning at 33-37 SeasideVillageRoadinSouthYarmouth. (Petition 49-79) Nearly all residents in the surrounding neighborhoods are completely opposed to the creation of 100% seasonal employee housing at the former location of the Village Green Hotel. Passage of this variance will cause traffic and safety problems, and potentially lower the property values of the existing community. When we learned that the hotel had been sold,we looked forward to its renovation. We have been quite disappointed in the lack of progress to that end. The appearance of the building has actually deteriorated since it's sale. There are various paint colors, chipping paint, laundry hanging from broken windows, trash in the street and many people congregating outside of the hotel, drinking, smoking, and listening to music at various times. Vehicles are parked all along Parkwood Rd.,near Shore Rd, obstructing bothvehicleandpedestriantraffictoandfromParkersRiverBeach. We are certain that the Yarmouth Police Department can advise you of the increase in service calls to the establishment. Throughout this past summer, it became obvious to us that the hotel was being used for hotel workers and not for vacationers as it had been for many years. This has been a family neighborhood for decades. There is vast difference between a family on vacation for a week or two and groups of young men and women from various states and countries living in the hotel for the entire summer. We were unaware that a zoning change had occurred allowing this type of housing, but we are certainly aware of it now! One day, while walking our dogs in the preserved acreage on Parkwood Road,we came across several young men from the hotel drinking beer and socializing. It was quite disconcertingtodiscoverthem—mid day drinking and partying in preserved land used by the entire neighborhood, adults,and children,to access the beach and to walk dogs. Traffic and safety of pedestrians are major areas of concern. We are both retired law enforcement officers with a combined total of 80 years experience. We have noted significant changes in both vehicular and pedestrian traffic on our formally quiet street.Parkwood is a narrow,winding road that pedestrians (mostly families with children) use to walk to Parker River Beach. There are no streetlights, so visibility is limited in the evening hours. During this past summer,there was a vast increase in vans,trucks and cars comingandgoingfromthe33-37 Seaside Village Road. Along with the increase in vehicular traffic, there has also been a marked increase in the speed at which the vehicles travel. We have been residents for almost 20 years; we've never experienced traffic at this level at all hours of day and night. In our view this is a very dangerous situation, a tragedy waiting tohappen. We are concerned that property values in our neighborhood are likely to go down because of this zoning variance. We were disappointed that minimal notices were mailed only to those residents abutting the hotel. This variance effects the entire surrounding area. In fact,we learned of the hearing schedule from many concerned residents in our neighborhood. We urge you to disapprove the proposed rezoning. From recent meetings and discussions with our neighbors,we know our opinions are shared by many. Thank you for your continued service and support of our communities. Best regards, Maggie and Ed Smith