(Credit: Fort Ann; graphic Steve Thurston, 2022)
The Town of Fort Ann is considering a short-term rental law to regulate what Supervisor Sam Hall says are noise and parking issues around Hadlock Pond. But Katelyn and John Moskos, who own six rental properties on Hadlock, believe their Northern Living company is being unfairly singled out, and have pushed back about how the proposed law has been rolled out.
Katelyn Moskos said when the town board first discussed the issue last spring, board members mentioned Northern Living specifically in their comments, saying they had received numerous complaints about the Moskos’ properties.
“We are baffled the town didn’t reach out to us,” she said. “We live on Dean Road and we have a summer camp we use constantly during the summer. If someone complains to us, my husband is there in five minutes.”
Hall said the proposed law “is not directed at them. They happen to be the folks that have the most property on Hadlock. But we’ve never gotten any complaints from other properties that are rented individually.”
Hadlock Pond, inside the Adirondack Park southeast of Buck Mountain, is a 220 acre pond about 1.5 miles long. It has dozens of homes along its shoreline.
Hall added that town attorney Jeff Meyer of Meyer, Fuller & Stockwell is talking to other municipalities that have short-term rental laws.
“The board wants to make sure we’re fair to everybody,” he said, adding, “We’re taking our time and doing our due diligence.”
He said Queensbury and Bolton have short-term rental laws, and wondered: “Why such a big deal in Fort Ann?” Bolton’s law took effect in January, and a revision to Queensbury’s law is in committee.
[Read about Bolton’s law here, and public discussion here.]
“Our intent is not to shut down any business. Our intent is to protect the residents nearby. And we want to do it in a reasonable way,” he said. “We’re really concerned about safety. It’s out of control.”
He added that “90 percent of this is the volume of people in their [the Moskos'] houses. It’s a safety issue.”
Katelyn Moskos said she and her husband screen every potential renter, and those they do rent to must abide by rules on parking and pets and noise, all spelled out in a six-page agreement renters must sign.
“What they are saying, we already do,” she said.
The proposed law limits parking to 1.5 vehicles per bedroom.
Katelyn Moskos said the parking shouldn’t be based on the number of bedrooms but instead on the amount of paved off-street parking.
“We have never had a problem with parking issues,” she said.
They also have security cameras on all of their properties that are monitored in real time, and they are able to quickly respond to any potential issues, she said.
One purpose of the proposed law is to maintain the character of the area with a “clean, wholesome and attractive environment for the owner’s property, adjacent property owners and the neighborhood," the proposal says.
To that end, the proposal covers many of the standard requirements of any rental: working electrical systems, properly vented fireplaces, access to the rental for code enforcement purposes, and similar regulations.
The proposed law calls for individuals and companies to register their properties and pay a small fee.
Renewals, Hall said, “would be based on the performance of their properties over the course of the last year.”
“We have no problem with 90 percent of what the proposed law says, but the current draft is very vague,” Katelyn Moskos said.
The Moskos’ also believe the proposed law should be for everyone, including those who might live on Hadlock or Lake George but don’t rent out their property.
“It should be across the board,” Katelyn Moskos said. The Kattskill Bay and Pilot Knob areas of Lake George are in Fort Ann.
She said “septic is a big concern for the town, but all of our septic systems are updated and have been inspected by the county. We agree septic is an issue, but the regulations should be universal.”
And, she said the water quality has improved every year for the last eight years, according to a scientist the Hadlock Association hires every year to assess the water.
Katelyn Moskos said there are 30 other rental properties on Hadlock, and “we felt we were singled out.”
John Moskos said he believes the town will adopt new regulations.
But his wife said, “It just needs to be fair with everyone…And there needs to be a process to inform owners immediately when there is a complaint.”
The Fort Ann Town Board meets on Monday, Feb. 14th, but Hall said the proposed law probably won’t be discussed. It will remain on the town board agenda and discussed again when the town releases an updated draft of the proposed law.