Owner of Gale Avenue short-term rental files stalking petition against neighbor

LACONIA — A local property owner, whose unpermitted short-term rental on Gale Avenue is drawing outcry from neighbors, has filed a stalking petition against one of those neighbors. A hearing on the petition is set for Thursday.

Jon Steenbergen, whose property investment company owns the house at 65 Gale Ave., filed a stalking petition against Bradford Parker, whose home is across the street from 65 Gale.

In his filing, Steenbergen alleges that, when he and his wife went to Parker’s home to introduce themselves, he “started snearing” [sic] at them, saying that he “was not going to allow a short term rental in his neighborhood” and that he “was watching us and knew when we were at our house and when we left.” The filing also alleges that, the night before this confrontation, Steenbergen’s wife saw Parker looking into her bedroom. Steenbergen declined to comment on this story.

Parker’s attorney Robert Hunt said in an interview that Parker had “certainly never stalked” the Steenbergens, and they only had contact when Steenbergen came to Parker’s home. Hunt also said the filing represented an effort by Steenbergen to dissuade his neighbors from raising further issues with the city about Steenbergen’s use of 65 Gale as a short-term rental.

“The bottom line as far as we’re concerned is that he would like to try to quiet his neighbors,” Hunt said. 

Neighbors’ complaints to the city council and planning department about guests at 65 Gale — both because of their number and because of their behavior — prompted city officials to take action against Steenbergen. 

Per the city’s ordinance, anyone running a short-term rental must be an owner-occupant, meaning that the home is their legal residence where they live for a majority of the year, in order to get a permit. According to city officials, Steenbergen is not eligible for a permit under the ordinance or its exceptions. The fine for running a rental without a permit is $275 per day, but the process to enforce that fine is lengthy.

The 65 Gale Vrbo listing was taken down in late January, but the tension between neighbors and Steenbergen, and his resistance to city enforcement measures, led the city to consider beefing up its enforcement resources for short-term rental regulation. 

It also drew coverage in The Daily Sun. 

Steenbergen accused Parker of having “reporters for the Laconia daily sun call me to get a comment on me using my own house as a Short term rental.” 

“This action,” the petition continues, “was taken by Bradford to harass and slander me and my family.” 

Steenbergen also asserted in his filing that Parker provided false information for the story about an abutter, Billy Smith, whose husband’s hospice care was disrupted by guests at 65 Gale. He asserted the resident “lives nowhere near my house.”

The story, which appeared in the Feb. 2 edition of The Daily Sun, came in response to a Laconia City Council meeting where neighbors pled with city officials to take stronger action against ordinance violators, including and especially 65 Gale. Steenbergen did not respond to multiple requests for comment on that story. 

Parker never reached out to The Daily Sun, nor was he contacted for or quoted in the story. The Sun did not speak directly with Smith and quoted him only from his comments at the council meeting. Smith’s home diagonally abuts 65 Gale Ave.