Letter from James L. Northrup

Permit Should Be Denied

40 Lake Street is one of the oldest houses in the Village of Cooperstown, in one of the most prominent single-family locations. It is probably the worst candidate in the historic heart of the village to be turned into a short term rental property. The house and location are simply not suited for short-term rental, which, in this instance, would amount to a form of house and neighborhood abuse. The village should meet its regional obligation for long term affordable rental properties, but not with this historic home, not in this prominent location, not as a boarding house.

Multiple reasons to reject this requested change of use of 40 Lake Street into a short term rent house:

• 40 Lake is surrounded by single-family residences, none of which are short term rental houses.
• There is inadequate parking for the proposed use as required by code.
• The lawn fronts on the back yards of six (6) single-family residences, which creates a privacy issue.
• The proposed use is redundant to the Lakefront Hotel, Cooperstown Inn, Otesaga Hotel, etc.
• Rental turnover would be detrimental to the neighbors’ quiet enjoyment of their properties.
• As a fragile historic building, it may be subjected to additional wear and tear and fire risk.
• The owners may not live on the property, or, like other STRs, may pretend to live on the property.
• The property was recently purchased, so the buyer cannot claim hardship as the reason for the permit.

The property is one of the most historically significant single-family houses situated in the historic core of the village. Turning it into a boarding house would damage its historical significance.

In general, short-term rentals should not be approved in the historic, single-family core of the village, and they should be scrupulously avoided in buildings of unique historic value and character that are located in wholly single-family neighborhoods.

James L. Northrup
Cooperstown