Yarmouth ZBA approves one-year special permit for seasonal employee housing at Parkers River Resort

The Yarmouth Zoning Board of Appeals on April 10 unanimously approved a one-year special permit allowing seasonal employee housing at the Parkers River Resort motel at 759 Route 28 in South Yarmouth.

The permit authorizes use of existing units as seasonal employee housing for the current season only, with the board attaching the same conditions it previously imposed on comparable approvals. The board chair noted a 20-day appeal period, after which the decision must be recorded with the town clerk and filed at the registry of deeds.

Attorney Kilroy and prospective owner-manager Doug Koenig told the board the request is temporary and intended to bridge the property’s finances while renovations and rebranding are completed. Koenig said the property has operated as seasonal employee housing the past three years and that this season he expects to rent rooms to employees of Chatham Bars Inn under a pending contract that covers all units. “It covers all the units,” Koenig said of the Chatham Bars arrangement, adding the contract was not physically signed pending the board’s action.

Koenig described plans to convert the motel into an adult-focused, higher-end property beginning after the season, with exterior work staged to minimize disruption. He told the board he plans to be on-site frequently and that a manager’s unit will be occupied during the season to handle any issues. Board members pressed Koenig on local solicitations; he said he contacted several area businesses but that most demand came from outside Yarmouth.

Board members acknowledged that the zoning bylaw’s purpose for employee-housing permits is to support Yarmouth businesses but that the one-year limit and prior precedent weighed in favor of a temporary approval. Board member Jay moved to approve the special permit for one year with the same provisions used in previous decisions; another board member seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

Action specifics: the board approved a one-year special permit (season: April 1–Oct. 31) for seasonal employee housing at 759 Route 28; vote was unanimous. The chair reminded the applicant of the 20-day appeal period after the decision is filed with the town clerk.

The applicant was told to record the permit at the registry of deeds and return a copy to the board. If the applicant proceeds with renovations after the season, any subsequent request to continue employee housing beyond the one-year term would require a new application.