Laconia zoning board denies non-owner short-term rental; approves multiple variances and sign permits

The Laconia Zoning Board of Adjustment on Tuesday denied a special-exception application for a non-owner-occupied short-term rental at 86 Chapin Terrace and approved multiple variances and sign permits across the agenda.

The board voted 3–2 to deny the application from William and Andrea Vessels seeking a special exception so their recently purchased Chapin Terrace house could operate as short-term lodging while they were not yet owner-occupants. The Vessels had asked for a non-owner-occupied short-term rental and proposed rules including a cap on vehicles and occupants, quiet hours and on-site parking.

The Vessels said they had called city staff before purchase and were told there were no restrictions; they described property-management experience and a plan to screen guests and enforce house rules. “We have a no, strict no street parking policy, which we will enforce,” Andrea Vessels said while outlining occupancy limits and safety measures including smoke detectors and exterior lighting. William Vessels added that they would require multi-night minimums during summer and could respond within an hour to problems.

Neighbors questioned that account and described repeated problems from other short-term rentals on nearby streets. Joseph Charlond, who lives across Chapin Terrace, said past short-term rentals on the lakefront had produced heavy on-street parking and late-night parties, and raised public-safety concerns: “Parking became … up to 12, 13 cars parked between, on the driveway into the street,” Charlond said, adding that at times fire and ambulance access was impeded. Tim Gilligan, another neighbor, cited health-related anxiety about recurring disturbances and asked how revocation or enforcement would work.

City planner Tyler Carmichael and other staff explained the permit and enforcement framework: non-owner-occupied short-term lodging requires a special exception under the zoning ordinance; enforcement of noise or illegal street parking falls to police, while zoning violations can trigger planning-department enforcement and revocation processes. Carmichael said documented complaints are required before the city pursues zoning enforcement and that special-exception permits are reissued on a two-year cycle; abutters receive notice when a permit is renewed.

Board members who opposed the Vessels' request said the proposal would amount to allowing hotel-style use in a residential neighborhood and would increase demand on municipal services. “When you buy a property in a residential neighborhood, there’s an expectation that that’s a neighborhood for residents,” Board member Eric Hoffman said in opposing the application. Members who supported the Vessels noted controls in the application and the city’s ability to take enforcement action if problems arise.

Votes at a glance - Application ZB2026-004 (86 Chapin Terrace) — request: special exception for non-owner-occupied short-term lodging (RS district, per applicants). Board action: denied, vote 3–2. Key points: neighbors cited parking, noise, sewer capacity concerns; applicants proposed occupancy and parking caps, quiet hours and minimum-stay rules. - Application ZB2026-001 (85 Fenton Avenue) — request: variance from setback regulations to replace and enlarge an existing garage (applicant: Fishers). Board action: approved (motion passed; one recorded abstention). Key points: proposed garage to expand to roughly 28 ft deep by 24 ft wide from an existing 18x20 structure; applicants said the house and neighborhood predate zoning; height not requested as part of the variance and would remain subject to the RG district 35-foot limit. - Application (55 Shore Drive) — request: variance to permit a deck built over an existing patio (applicant representative: John Petrichenko for Al Russo). Board action: approved (motion passed). Key points: applicant said deck footprint matches existing patio; staff and board noted deck would not expand impervious area and would meet setback relief criteria. - Application ZB2026-003 (3–7 Riverside Avenue, Laconia Properties LLC) — request: multiple variances to subdivide a mixed-use lot into two lots including setback relief, minimum-lot-size reduction and parking setback variances. Board action: approved (motion passed). Key points: no new construction proposed; existing structures date from c.1900 and services (water, sewer, utilities) are already separate for each building. - Application ZB20230-528 (11 Hounsell Avenue — application number as stated in the hearing record) — request: allow a second detached dwelling on the lot (applicants: Phil and Joanne Dresser). Board action: approved (motion passed). Key points: applicants sought a modular/double-wide unit as an independent residence for aging owners; board discussed zoning mismatch (lot in industrial zone) and noted master-plan rezoning could address similar cases. - Application ZB2026-006 (Saint Vincent de Paul) — request: two 3x7 wall-mounted electronic signs. Board action: approved (motion passed). Key points: applicant Ernie Liakis said signs will advertise food-pantry and thrift-store hours and services.

What the board said and why it matters The Chapin Terrace decision was the meeting’s most contested item. Opponents emphasized neighborhood character, repeated operational problems they attribute to some existing short-term rentals, and local sewer capacity concerns reported to the city. Supporters highlighted the applicants’ proposed rules, property-management experience, and the city’s existing enforcement tools. The board’s narrow denial shows the balance the Zoning Board is drawing between individual property use and neighborhood concerns; the planning staff noted the applicants may reapply after meeting the ordinance conditions (for example, if the property becomes owner-occupied) or provide additional evidence for the community-benefit clause in the special-exception standard.

Other approvals were largely routine variances involving preexisting nonconforming structures in older neighborhoods and sign permits for nonprofit outreach. On 85 Fenton Avenue, the board approved setback relief to allow a slightly larger garage footprint; the record shows the lot and structures predate the city’s zoning code. On Riverside Avenue, the board granted multiple variances so a longstanding mixed-use lot can be subdivided into two separately serviced parcels, which the applicant said would make the properties more conforming with neighborhood patterns.

What’s next - The Chapin Terrace applicants were told they may return with a revised application or when their occupancy status changes; staff described the two-year permit-renewal cycle and the city’s enforcement and revocation procedures for documented zoning violations. - Several approvals are subject only to administrative permit issuance and building-permit review; the board did not authorize height increases beyond existing code limits.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified in the board record and appear in the transcript.