Zoning board denies request for short-term rental on Lake Opechee

LACONIA — William and Andrea Vessels, of Litchfield, applied for a special exception to allow short-term rentals at their property, located on Chapin Terrace, but residents of that neighborhood expressed opposition.

Members of the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment denied the request for the property near Lake Opechee during their meeting on Jan. 20.

“I actually met with a couple of the neighbors, one of them, it was a lengthy meeting, where we researched the entire situation. And we tried to look at it from the new owner’s perspective to what they may have wanted to do, but we also looked at what Laconia has done for an ordinance to protect neighborhoods,” Ward 6 Councilor Mike Conant said of the property. “It’s clear that the folks who purchased this home did not purchase it because they want to live in Laconia and enjoy our great city, and that really is the differentiating factor. We don’t want to set a precedent where business owners can come in and buy up homes in our wonderful city and drive our residents out."

The Vessels applied for the special exception on July 23, 2025, and were previously denied, following a ZBA meeting on Aug. 18, 2025.

According to the Vessels’ application, the home is already fully serviced with water, sewer, trash pickup and utilities, and they expect their guests to follow posted house rules regarding trash disposal and energy usage. They wrote that “no public assistance or additional municipal support is anticipated.”

“The Vessels purchased 86 Chapin Terrace, not as an investment property but as a place they could, in the future, call their forever home. Until then, the plan for this property was to enjoy it as much as possible, but also to offer the house for short-term rentals to help defray the cost for the home,” Attorney Kate Mahan said. “As the board is aware from previous hearings, the ability to rent and defray costs was an important factor for the Vessels in the purchase of this house, and they did everything they could reasonably think of to confirm that short-term rentals were permissible, including reaching out to the city twice for confirmation and receiving confirmation twice from the city that short-term rentals were approved, without any restrictions, for this property.

"These efforts are presented in the affidavits that are before you, as part of the record, and are not disputed,” she said.

Mahan told board members that, in addition to no increased demand for municipal services, any rental agreement will require strict adherence to rules like no house parties, fireworks, outdoor music, and there will be no impact to access to the house or street for emergency vehicles.

Tim Gilligan, of 94 Chapin, said he and his wife purchased their home about a decade ago, and live next door to the property in question.

“We’re not in favor of the ZBA granting this special exception,” Gilligan said. “Despite what they say in their application, the criteria, restrictions and conditions have not been met.

“I don’t want to find myself having to be policing their guests when bad situations happen, whether it be a week, a month, six months, a year down the road,” he said. “We don’t need this in a residential neighborhood, and we certainly don’t need it next to us.”

Attorney Laura Spector-Morgan of the Mitchell Municipal Group, which represents the city, said public hearings are required by law, and the zoning board is required to judge applications according to state statutes.

“What’s important to understand is that whether or not to grant a special exception is not a vote of the public, it’s not a popularity contest. The public hearings are intended to allow the public to comment on the special exception criteria,” she said. “The board, as much as they take in your comments and understand and respect your feelings, is bound by those special exception criteria.”

The board voted to deny the request for a special exception. Members Marcia Hayward, Jane Laroche and Ward 3 Councilor Eric Hoffman voted to deny, and Richard Boddie and Mike Delevecchia were in favor of granting the exception.

That matter was one of two denials to garner significant public interest during the meeting. The board also voted to deny a request for a special exception to build a large RV campground along White Oaks Road.

A large crowd attended the meeting to hear the discussion regarding the request which, if approved, would have allowed developer Peter Grenier and Sky View Acres to build a campground at 238 White Oaks.

Conant expressed his thoughts on the campground during a public comment portion of the meeting.

“As the sitting council member for this ward, I just want to be on record as being very much opposed. I think common sense should prevail. I hope all of you are familiar with the area and have done drive-bys. The folks that live there, they live there because the zoning protects them. A lot of them have been there for decades, and they’re there because of the zoning,” Conant said. “Don’t sell out Laconia, make the developers, hold them to the current zoning. We can’t let Laconia get away from us, and if we do something like this, it will just show other developers that they can get away with anything in Laconia and we don’t want to set that precedent, it’s just wrong.”