Plans for the business zoned property at 480 Southampton Road.
I am writing this letter for two reasons.
1. To make the community, especially those of us that own businesses and live in the north section of Westfield, aware of what is being proposed for the property at 480 Southampton Road in Westfield (the Country Court Motel property).
2. To give you the opportunity to voice your opinion on this before the March18th Planning Board meet- ing where a special permit will be voted on, and encourage you to attend that meeting.
Turning the motel units into apartments – can rooms be called apartments?
Rui Baltazar is the new owner of 480 Southampton Road and has applied for a special permit to convert the motel into apartments. He presented his request at a Planning Board meeting on February 18th. With questions from the attendees, here is what we understood from the meeting:
• Mr. Baltazar wants to make the 12 motel rooms into apartments. He used the term “efficiency” apart- ments but he is not planning to add kitchens. Mr. Baltazar, when asked if he planned to put kitchens in the motel rooms, stated “no, but I can”.
• Mr. Baltazar wants to turn the house on the property into two apartments, one apartment being a 2-bedroom, the other apartment being a 3-bedroom.
• Mr. Baltazar was unclear on how many people he would allow to live in each room. When asked about pets he said he could not allow pets. No one knew if the occupancy limit is determined by the number of people or by the square footage of the unit. No one knew if a kitchen is required to call a room an apart- ment.
• To meet the requirement for the 28 parking spaces (2 per unit) Mr. Baltazar would need to clear part of the wooded land behind the motel structures.
• Mr. Baltazar will not be living on the property nor will he have a property manager living at the property. There will be no management on-site.
The motel/house could have a minimum of 17 people and up to 30.
If all the units were full, and depending on how many people were allowed per room, there could be be- tween 17 and 30 people living at this property. This motel sits on a piece of land about the size of a house lot. The back lot would now be parking. This would not give the tenants any space to “live” other than in their rooms.
What is the city of Westfield’s requirement for units that are rented as apartments?
Mr. Baltazar’s plan is to turn a small motel room that fits a bed with side tables and has a bathroom into an apartment. Does this meet the standards required by Westfield? We asked this question of the Plan- ning Board and they did not know, they stated they would check with the Building Inspector.
What is the city of Westfield’s plan for the north side of Westfield?
As a business owner in the city, I am involved with the business community and have heard many times that two of the great assets we have in Westfield are Barnes Airport and easy access due to the Turnpike Exit into Westfield. Both of these are within a mile of the motel. Surrounding the motel are many busi- nesses that have invested in their company and their property.
Do you feel this conversion is appropriate for our community?
The Planning Board is being asked to approve the special permit based on the premise that the previous motel use is similar to the proposed “apartment” use. It is not similar.
We clearly have a vested interest in the plans for this property, being a business right next door. In no way are we hiding that fact. But we don’t believe this type of housing is appropriate, don’t believe there is enough space for the number of tenants, and are concerned about the short and long term manage- ment of the property with so many tenants and no on-site staff.
The Planning Board will vote on March 18th at 7:00pm meeting, please attend. We will be asking the Planning Board to Vote NO on the special permit.
Due to the questions from the community at the February 18th meeting, the Planning Board has re- quired Mr. Baltazar to come back with a plan for the property that clarifies his intentions before they vote. We will be requesting that the Planning Board seriously consider the ramifications of their vote and will be asking that they vote NO on the special permit. Please come to this meeting if you are con- cerned, or call or email the Planning Board.
Sincerely,
Stanley Atwood and Tina Stevens Stevens 470
470 Southampton Road Westfield, MA
