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Hague board halts guest-cottage permits after residents raise density, infrastructure and enforcement concerns
Summary
After hours of public comment, the Hague Town Board instructed the CEO to stop issuing permits for guest cottages effective immediately and agreed to form a committee to review code and comprehensive-plan consistency.
The Hague Town Board voted April 14 to instruct the town CEO to refrain from issuing any further permits for "guest cottages" effective immediately, following an extended public hearing in which residents and the planning board urged a pause.
Residents told the board that the guest-cottage definition as written risks increasing density, straining septic and lake protections and changing the town’s character. Tim, a long-time resident, said the definition’s 2,000-square-foot cap could allow large accessory structures: “A 2,000 square foot cottage? … That’s 12 people,” he said, arguing enforcement would be difficult if cottages were rented out. Planning board member Elaine Vogel told the board the planning board had submitted a unanimous recommendation that the change not be approved and urged holding the proposal pending a full code rewrite.
Ed, the town’s CEO and zoning enforcement official, told the board he had spotlighted the issue because the code language is unclear and he needs direction to enforce consistently. He said the 2,000-square-foot figure is a statutory cap in the definition, not an expectation for typical cottages: “2,000 square feet is a cap… that's not going to be the norm,” he said.
Following public comment, several board members said they supported delaying further approvals and appointing a review committee. A motion to instruct the CEO not to issue any further guest-cottage permits was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. The board said the pause is intended to give time for a committee and a comprehensive code review and to clarify enforceable limitations rather than to permanently ban accessory living units.
The next steps the board outlined were appointing a committee to review the code and providing clearer guidance for the CEO; no permanent code change was adopted that night, and members said a full code rewrite later this year would be the appropriate venue for substantive changes.
