Developer pitches four options for Phoenicia Trail Homes site

At the Chandvagan Planning Board workshop on June 24, representatives of the Phoenicia Trail Homes project outlined four possible redevelopment paths for a long-unused trailer-park parcel and asked the board for guidance on which route could move most expeditiously through town review.

The applicants said the site already contains electric pedestals, stubbed utilities and septic work and that reusing the existing pads would lower construction cost. “We are closing it because we can’t put modular homes on it,” the presenter said while describing the project’s background and why the owners are considering alternatives. The four options the applicants described were: (1) a rental development reusing the trailer-park footprint with modular homes; (2) a lodging/cabin-cottage development using a special use permit; (3) a cluster subdivision; or (4) converting the parcel to a single-family home as a fallback.

Staff and board members reviewed the site history and infrastructure: the applicants said three trailers remain on-site (two tenant-occupied), that older trailer-park approvals exist from the late 1980s and early 1990s, and that septic capacity could reach the equivalent of 27 bedrooms if certain county approvals are confirmed. The presenters said the cabin-cottage lodging path “conforms to existing zoning” and “only requires a special use permit,” while long-term rental options could trigger additional steps, including variance requests to the zoning board of appeals.

The board advised the applicants to prepare updated maps and the items on the site-plan checklist and to return with a formal application. No formal approvals or votes occurred at the workshop; the applicant said they will proceed with option 2 (lodging special use permit) as their preferred path but will pursue other approvals as contingencies.