LACONIA — Presentations are planned before the Planning Board on Tuesday evening concerning instituting short-term lodging regulations and creating a downtown historic district.
Board members will be asked to schedule public hearings for a later meeting on both proposals. The City Council will take up these issues after the hearings.
The historic district would take in the St. Joseph Church campus, the railroad station and the library. A demolition permit has been filed for the church itself, which grandfathers the 1929 structure under existing regulations that don’t provide long-term protection for the building.
Regulations on short-term lodging would allow this use in most zones of the city. It is now prohibited in much of the city, but this is not enforced unless someone complains. The new system would set up a regulatory system under which people wishing to do Airbnb-type rentals would have to register their property on a yearly basis and abide by rules, including that renters would not be able to park on the street.
They said it:
“It has the potential to sow the seeds of making this a better, more profitable city.”
— Developer Rusty McLear on the Colonial Theatre project. The City Council has reached consensus toward increasing the municipal investment in the theater to get the long-stalled project off the ground. McLear plans to build eight to 10 apartments or condominiums as part of the refurbishment.
Facebook comment:
“Very pleased with the City Council approval for additional funding of the Colonial Theatre restoration and delighted to have Rusty McLear add his expertise and financial support in advancing work to finally commence.”
— Dorothy Duffy
4th of July Celebration
Laconia’s Independence Day celebration will be on Thursday, July 4. A parade begins at 4:30 p.m. and goes from Laconia High School to Opechee Park, where there will be vendors, food and live music. Fireworks start at 10 p.m.
Deadline
Tax bills were mailed on May 31 and are due on Monday. Payments are accepted by mail and at the counter in City Hall during normal business hours. There is also a drop slot on the side door of City Hall.
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