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Incompatible with the Character

On Aug. 3, a special exception was granted by the East Haven Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) for the operation of what I believe is an illegal hotel under the guise of a rooming/boarding house in a quiet, single-family residential neighborhood. Despite opposition from neighbors citing public health, safety, and welfare concerns; in absence of adequate regulation; and having failed to notify all property owners within 100 feet of the proposed site, commissioners Susan Colangelo, Charles Metzler, and Peter Cianelli voted to allow the applicant to run a short-term rental business in a roughly 1,000 square foot single-family home.

While the “sharing economy” has made short-term rentals increasingly popular, such rentals are incompatible with the character of our neighborhood and district. It is the duty of the PZC to ensure regulations are kept up-to-date proactively, and granting a special exception without solid regulation simply because you like the idea or because it could take up to six months to establish regulation, impeding the applicant’s ability to operate immediately, is terrible zoning. I applaud Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. [Aug. 18 letter “Ignored the Will of Residents”], Carl J. Florio, Jr. [Sept. 1 letter “Gave Preferential Treatment”], and commissioners William DeMayo and Beverly Gravino for standing up for our neighborhood and the regulation compliant taxpayers of East Haven.

If you are looking to make some extra cash, consider East Haven an emerging market for illegal hotel accommodations—no business license required or zoning regulations enforced.

Boguslaw Kot

East Haven