By Stephanie Grinnell

Staff Writer

“The Lighthouse Motel tends to generate a lot of controversy,” Scarborough Town Manager Ron Owens said as a preface to his April 2 presentation to the town council.

Owens shared a report and answers to questions submitted by the Pine Point Resident’s Group addressing concerns about the way the approval process for the motel’s conversion to a condominium complex was handled. 

“It seems to us to be more of a legal matter than anything else,” he said.

Owens said the town attorney agreed that year-round use of the motel was not consistent with the grandfathered use allowed in the residential zone it is located in. 

“We have to be careful we don’t govern changes of ownership,” he said.

Owens provided a brief overview of the history of the property, roughly a third of an acre in size. He said the motel was proposed to be turned into five or six condominiums prior to the latest declaration, which seeks to establish 22 condominiums. An ordinance to regulate motel conversions was drafted and sent to the council late last year, but Owens said the so-called “condotel ordinance” was “not received well by anyone.” 

Meanwhile, two other motels have received planning board approval to convert to year-round use condominiums. Owens said if the Lighthouse Inn moves in a different direction, there may be a need for an ordinance in the future.

“The code office was able to say at this time, there’s no change of use,” Owens said. “It really is just a code enforcement matter, not for the council.”

Under the current approved condominium plan, the owners of the Lighthouse Inn, Peter and Nick Truman, would be able to sell individual units to different owners, resulting in as many as 22 owners. The stipulation of ownership includes several issues – the units must remain seasonal, there may not be a kitchen installed or plumbing or wiring upgrades to allow for larger appliances. 

“A hot plate and a coffee pot are OK, but they can’t have plumbing or wiring upgrades for a stove, that is where codes can monitor,” Owens said. 

He said there have been some personal issues and animosity between the Pine Point Residents Group and the Lighthouse Inn owners.

“They say it’s not personal, but if you spend enough time talking with them, you’ll see it is personal. There’s not as much room for compromise,” Owens said, adding new owners in the mix may be a benefit to the neighborhood. “I’m sure people who buy them (condominium units) will be interested in creating as much of a community as they can.”

According to a written statement from Judy Shirk, Harold Hutchinson, John Thurlow, Elaine Richer and Jack Callahan, representatives of the Pine Point Residents Group, they are disturbed they were not notified about the town’s change in position regarding the conversion of the motel. Previously, town officials said the motel owners were creating a change of use on the property. 

“We disagree with the town manager’s new position that ‘nothing will change there, just the ownership, which the town can’t regulate,’” they stated. “It is unreasonable to accept the claim that this operation will continue to be a seasonal motel as the town manager indicates in his responses. Once the 22 units are sold, owners will choose to rent long term or allow friends and relatives to use the units, or leave them vacant. They will not be fully available to the traveling public as the declarations indicate and the town manager accepts.”

Other concerns expressed by the resident’s group include the age of the building and the inability for multiple unit owners to improve common areas without the assistance of other unit owners. They said there is no sprinkler system in place, no fire escapes, inadequate egress windows, outdated electrical systems, asbestos and no inter-connected smoke alarms to alert people of fire. 

“To permit this change of use is to ignore a significant risk to personal safety,” they stated.

Town Attorney Christopher Vaniotis said in a letter to Owens he was satisfied with the language changes to the condominium declaration filed by the Lighthouse Inn.

“It must be kept in mind that the creation of a condominium does not, in and of itself, constitute a change of use. A condominium is not a land use, it is a form of ownership of real estate,” Vaniotis said. 

Owens said as far as he knows, none of the units have been sold. 

Calls to the Lighthouse Inn were not returned as of press time. 

Contact Stephanie Grinnell by calling 282-4337 ext. 213 or email news@scarboroughleader.com.