OLD ORCHARD BEACH —The town has put further restrictions on The Landings hotel.
The Town Council voted Tuesday night to restrict the entire hotel, both the cabins and the main building, to seasonal rentals only, limiting the rental period to May 1 through Oct. 1.
Last year, the town restricted the nine standalone cabins at the hotel, located at 74 Saco Ave., to seasonal rentals. Last year, the Town Council also restricted Fern Park Cabins, a summer destination under the same owner, from being rented to international students on a J-1 visa.
The restrictions last year were prompted by code violations and a number of police calls regarding offseason tenants, said Town Manager Larry Mead at a May 2014 Town Council meeting.
Code Enforcement Officer Dan Feeney said at the May meeting that there were “numerous violations” at the cabins at The Landings, including illegally hooked-up electricity, gas and plumbing, and he found frozen pipes and backed up sewers.
The new restrictions were proposed under the recommendation of town staff, said Mead Tuesday night.
Mead said Tuesday that code enforcement issues have been addressed, and there has been a decrease of criminal activity.
“This is, we think, a positive step in terms of safety,” said Mead.
The Landings owner Ed Jackson told the Town Council Tuesday he had no comment regarding the matter.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less