Queen Anne Inn Plans Conversion To Luxury Condominiums

by Tim Wood

            CHATHAM --- Two-and-a-half years ago, the zoning board of appeals approved a special permit allowing the Queen Anne Inn to convert its 34 rental rooms into 11 apartments.  But before he carried out that plan, owner Guenther Weinkopf mulled over comments some of the board members had made to the effect that he ought to think about converting to condominiums rather than apartments, as that would be more in keeping with the surrounding residential neighborhood.

            “That actually started the thought process” which led to a new proposal for the 170-year-old inn: its conversion to seven luxury townhouses.

            During the past two summers, the inn has continued to operate, accommodating visitors, many of them international travelers, in the stately building along Queen Anne Road.  It will be open again April 1, said Weinkopf, and will remain in operation until all local regulatory agencies sign off on the conversion.  And although brochures and a website have been established to sell the condos, everything is on hold for the time being.

            “We do not want to market the units until we have permits,” he said.

            Last week, Weinkopf ran into a glitch in the process when the zoning board decided it could not act on a request to alter the permit granted in July 2007 because of discrepancies between the way the permit was advertised and the information filed with the board.  His attorney, William Litchfield, agreed to withdraw the request and file a new one.  Litchfield said he would work with Community Development Director Kevin McDonald to develop a filing that conforms to the zoning bylaw. “We’ll figure out the proper way in which to file it,” he said.

            Litchfield said there have been two or three different versions of the condo plan, and the wrong ones were filed with the zoning board.  There was confusion at last Thursday’s hearing regarding the number of units, floor plans and the fact that it was not advertised as a condominium conversion.

            The changes were too dramatic to simply modify the previous permit, said Chairman Donald Freeman.

            “We’re better off doing it with a new appeal,” he said.  That appeal is scheduled to be heard March 25.

            Weinkopf said the change is being driven strictly by the fact that he’s getting older.  He’s owned and operated the inn since 1979, and while he wants to remain involved in the facility --- he’ll provide management services for the condos --- he’s ready to let go of the day-to-day operations.  A lot of time and money has gone into developing the current plans, which call for seven townhouses ranging from 2,680 to 5,470 square feet.  According to a brochure filed with the planning board, the units will range in price from $2.1 to $4.5 million.

            “Quite frankly I’m very proud of the project as it has developed,” Weinkopf said.  “I think it will provide the continuity of the landmark and at the same time will provide a beautiful living facility for families that want to have a place in Chatham.”  Condo ownership will decrease traffic over the current use and improve the quality of life in the neighborhood, he asserted.  Neighbors who were concerned over the apartment conversion have been kept apprised of developments and are behind the condo plan, he added.

            “I have a strong conviction that I am doing something which will be beneficial to everyone, and gives me an exit out of the demanding innkeeping operation, and still gives me the ability to be involved in the Queen Anne Inn by providing property management,” he said. 

            Weinkopf said he has committed to preserving the historical central portion of the building, which was built as a home in the 1840s and been a rooming house or inn since 1874.  Two wings, built in 1951 and 1954, will be demolished and reconstructed in keeping with the historical nature of the rest of the structure.  Litchfield said Weinkopf is working with the historical commission to ensure the building’s historical integrity is retained.

            The condos would have significantly less sewage flow than the current inn, which Litchfield said was a concern during the previous hearing.  Currently there are 34 rental rooms and a staff unit, plus a 46-seat restaurant.  Sewage regulations would allow up to 49 bedrooms, but Weinkopf is willing to accept a limit of 21, Litchfield said.

            Along with reconstructing most of the building, bringing it up to current building codes, new sidewalks and a green strip along the front will be installed, and a cottage in the back will be converted to a club/pool house, Litchfield said.

            “Frankly, it’s going to be upscale residential,” he said.

            Under the previously approved permit, one of the apartments had to be rented under affordable guidelines.  By reducing the number of units to seven, the facility will fall below the 10-unit threshold of the town’s affordable apartment bylaw.  In lieu of that, Litchfield said, Weinkopf is willing to make a contribution to the town’s affordable housing fund, an alternative allowed under the bylaw.  Zoning board member David Nixon wanted to see a “concrete number,” such as $250,000, as part of the March 25 hearing.

            While the town’s zoning bylaw allows conversion of public lodgings to condominiums, its restrictions are such that they could not be met by the inn, which has a number of nonconformities.  However, because the inn already has a permit to convert to apartments, and the town does not regulate ownership, the facility can, in a roundabout way, legally end up as condominiums.  The special permit that will be discussed on March 25 is necessary to reduce the number of apartments from 11 to 7 and allow a number of other structural changes which involve already existing nonconformities.

3/4/10