RACHEL RAVINA/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
A home on 101 S. Main St. was permitted to be used as a bed and breakfast. The couple received approval during a Board of Appeals meeting last Wednesday.

By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer

(May 8, 2019) A couple was permitted to use their home on South Main Street as a bed and breakfast following a unanimous vote from Berlin’s Board of Appeals last Wednesday evening.

Mark Harris and Vlada Hudson said they plan to live in the home full time, and rent rooms during the tourist season. Harris also entertained the idea of renting for weekend and holiday events in the off-season.

“I don’t foresee or wish to have a full-time bed and breakfast,” Harris said.

Harris said he bought the home on 101 S. Main St.  last October and is renovating the property, which has four bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Chairman Joe Moore outlined several specifications for the conditional use of a home turned into bed and breakfast: The property would need one full bathroom for every two guestrooms, no more than two beds in each guestroom, and no more than four people in each room.

When asked when the bed and breakfast would be open for business, Morris didn’t have an exact date in mind. He speculated it “could be as far as a year away,” and said it’d be contingent on finishing the home’s renovations.

Moore also underscored the home’s overall aesthetic and appearance in Berlin.

“Now I have to say, you’re in a historic district, of course, and you’ve got the historic district’s approval,” Moore said. “As a comment, what you have done in the front façade is very nicely done.”

Berlin resident Carol Rose agreed.

“I think this is terrific,” she said. “As chair of the Historic District Commission, the work that’s been done already shows me that you love our town, [and] you love our heritage … so [I’m] totally in favor.”

Vice Chairman Woody Bunting moved to approve the couple’s request, and member Jay Knerr seconded the motion.