BERLIN – A Flower Street property will be able to host special events following approval from the Worcester County Board of Zoning Appeals last week.
After a lengthy hearing last Thursday, the board voted 5-1 to allow property owner Patrick Brady to hold special events at Brooklyn Estate on Flower Street. The approval, which is subject to various conditions, came after some community members argued against bringing a commercial use to a residential neighborhood.
“You don’t have a concern for our community,” Mary Road resident and Flower Street property owner Gabe Purnell said. “It’s all about money. I feel like we’re being destroyed.”
Brady approached the board seeking a special exception to use his properties — the well-known estate and the adjacent cottage — to host weddings and special events. Brady said he’d purchased the adjoining properties eight years ago and fixed them up. He now offers them as vacation rentals and wants to use them to host special events as well. He acknowledged that he’d held two special events there prior to realizing he needed approval and that he’d ensured that during those events there had been sufficient off-street parking, portable restrooms and no music past 10 p.m.
He stressed that the closest neighbors to his property supported his plans and said that he’d ensure there was no detrimental effect on the community.
“He’s a good neighbor,” said Rena Smack, who lives in the house closet to Brady’s property. “I can’t ask for anyone better than he is.”
Local resident Shaneka Nichols agreed. She said she had no issue with the property hosting special events as long as Brady ensured the noise and traffic was not a problem. She added that school buses lined the sides of the street when the local schools held cross country meets and that that was more of a traffic issue than Brady’s events.
“I commend him for taking two properties that did sit vacant and turning them into something our community can take a bit of pride in,” she said.
Area residents Denee and Linda Bowen also spoke in support of Brady’s plan.
“I think what he’s going is good for our neighborhood,” Denee Bowen said.
When board members asked what sort of events Brady intended to hold, he said he’d been approached about weddings, class reunions and corporate teambuilding events. County staff added that Brady would be required to contact them to get a permit for each event and that if the special exception was approved, it meant Brady could host events for the next year but would have to return when that year was up to seek another special exception.
Debbie Brittingham, who lives elsewhere but owns property on Flower Street where she spends weekends and plans to retire, said she was opposed to Brady hosting events. She said he’d have no control over the type or number of people who attended functions at his estate.
“That neighborhood is not set up for that type of thing,” she said.
Natasha Owens said she didn’t live in the neighborhood but worked on Mary Road and was representing several properties on Flower Street. She praised Brady’s efforts to cleanup the two homes but said he wouldn’t be able to control everything at events. She pointed out that Brady had property elsewhere to which he could direct interested clients.
Brady said he did have a coordinator who was on site the day of special events at Brooklyn Estate.
Nevertheless, Owens said security might be necessary if events were to be held.
“Whenever alcohol is involved a person with the best personality can get out of character,” she said.
Flower Street resident Gregory Purnell brought up the fact that just across the street from Brady’s land county officials and residents had gathered last year to recognize historic Briddletown. He said Brady’s presentation hadn’t mentioned the historic significance of the area and instead focused on bringing a business to a 200-year-old African American residential community.
“What does the community benefit?” Purnell asked.
He said Flower Street was already one of the busiest streets in the town because of the amount of school related traffic it received. He suggested studies needed to be done to determine what sort of impact the activity associated with special events would have on the neighborhood.
“We’re changing the character of the neighborhood as it has existed,” he said.
Purnell argued that the landfill had already been thrust upon the community.
“You wouldn’t do it for your own neighborhood,” he said. “Why do it for us?”
Board member David Dypsky pointed out that while Purnell used the word business, Brady was in fact proposing to host family events such as weddings and reunions.
“You’re having social events not commercial events,” he said.
When asked specifically what his primarily concern was, Purnell said it was the fact that once Brady started hosting events the practice would continue.
“This is business,” he said. “He’s in it to make money.”
Board member Thomas Babcock said he understood the community apprehension, as what Brady proposed could morph into something more.
Purnell said Brady was a nice guy but that what he was planning would not benefit the Flower Street community.
“There’s potential here to tear the community apart,” he said.
Gabe Purnell said the problem began years ago when county officials approved construction of the elaborate estate property, which he said was out of character with the community.
“I don’t know what happened down the road when they allowed the Mexican to come in and build a million-dollar mansion in the middle of a community such as ours,” he said. “That makes no sense. If it wasn’t for that, this man would not have even looked at the property.”
Area resident William Johnson said that wasn’t Brady’s fault.
“I think that because he’s not an African American, he’s not a Purnell or not a Briddle, that we are judging him unfairly because he’s been a hell of a neighbor to all of us,” Johnson said. “If you don’t know him that’s your fault.”
The board voted 5-1, with Babcock opposed, to approve the special exception to allow up to 12 special events subject to various conditions, including no parking on Flower Street and a 10 p.m. event cutoff time. An on-site coordinator also has to be present during events, which are limited to weddings, family reunions, corporate retreats and local class reunions, and the sheriff’s office and Berlin’s police have to be notified of events in advance.
