West Stockbridge — The future of a historic 63-acre property at 72 West Alford Road may soon move one step closer to transforming into an equestrian facility and riding school.
On March 18, the West Stockbridge Planning Board set up a special permit hearing on the property for April 7 at 7:15 p.m.
Due to the town attorney needing remote access to the session, the meeting will be held with a virtual option, an exception to the group requiring in-person meetings only.
Town Attorney Lori Robbins said officials met with abutters to the property and discussed the special permit, with no mention of whether the abutters agreed with the requested future use of the tract. No abutters appeared at the session, and attempts by The Berkshire Edge to contact a neighbor at 78 West Alford Road were unsuccessful.
Once known as “Blueberry Hill,” the multi-generation estate was previously owned by German immigrants. Stockbridge resident Dr. Gabriel Kaufman purchased the property earlier this year via Blueberry Hill LLC as corporate owner. Noted Swiss equine veterinarian Dr. Dory Klotz Czech is expected to head up the equestrian facility and riding school, leading the endeavor with her award-winning European horse show jumper experience.
The Planning Board also approved a public hearing on May 6 focused on the town’s proposed accessory dwelling unit (ADU) bylaw that defines an ADU as “a self-contained unit” on the same lot as the main home but with a separate entrance. In accordance with the new state legislation, the draft states that an ADU can be no larger than half the gross floor area of the primary house or 900 square feet, whichever is smaller. ADUs greater than 900 square feet require a special permit but must be sized and scaled as “appropriate to the neighborhood” and meet the other zoning requirements. However, there is no minimum size for an ADU.
Board Chair Dana Bixby said she is unsure whether the proposed short-term rental (STR) zoning change will be up for vote at the Town Meeting scheduled for May 5.
“I have to say that it was drawn to my attention by town counsel and [Town Administrator] Marie Ryan [that] we may need to review the general bylaws so they are further coordinated with the changes we made in our recommendation for the zoning STR bylaw when we added the sections about full-time residents able to have an STR not on their property and long-term residents being able to have an STR when they don’t still live in town,” she said.
Bixby will provide a report to the dais “about potential action” she may take regarding including the proposed STR bylaw in the upcoming Town Meeting’s warrant.
According to Ryan, West Stockbridge counsel “is reviewing the warrant at this time,” she stated in an email response to The Berkshire Edge. Once the Finance Committee has conducted its public hearing to determine this fiscal year’s final budget numbers, the Select Board will be set to sign the warrant. That warrant must be posted by April 28, seven days prior to the Town Meeting.
