CHESTERFIELD, N.H. — The owners of the former Spofford Hall are preparing an application for a demolition permit for the mold-infested, 90,000-square-foot building that was once a substance abuse rehabilitation center.
"They will need a demolition permit through the town's code enforcement officer," James Corliss, the chairman of the Chesterfield Planning Board told the Reformer on Friday. "It's like a building permit in reverse."
James Phippard, of Brickstone Land Use Consultants in Keene, New Hampshire came to the April 15 Planning Board meeting for what is called "a conceptual consultation" to discuss Nine A LLC's plans for the property.
"Jim stated this is a long process and will he probably not be back to the Planning Board until August or September with the preliminary plans," said Jon McKeon, chairman of the Chesterfield Board of Selectmen.
The fate of Spofford Hall, which was shuttered in 1995, had been on hold for a number of years.
In 2014, the Chesterfield Zoning Board voted 3-2 to grant a variance to build five homes in the Spofford Lake District. The Chesterfield Board of Selectmen appealed the Zoning Board's decision to Cheshire County Superior Court, contending that the five-lot cluster development on six acres violated the Lake District's zoning ordinance. The case was transferred to Sullivan County Superior Court due to a conflict of interest on the part of the presiding judge in Cheshire County, eventually making its way to the New Hampshire Superior Court, which remanded the case back to Sullivan County Superior Court Judge Brian Tucker.
In December 2018, Tucker issued a ruling that denied the Board of Selectmen's appeal.
"The building is in disrepair," wrote Tucker, "with built-up mold that makes it uninhabitable. ... In its present condition, the property serves no reasonable purpose. It is incompatible with existing residential uses in the neighborhood ..."
Tucker noted that the plan the Zoning Board approved conformed as closely as possible to Chesterfield's cluster zoning regulations for the rest of the town.
It is estimated that the cost of tearing down the building and getting the site ready for the construction of homes will exceed $1 million.
Corliss said a conceptual consultation is convened for an applicant to discuss with the Planning Board its plans, its timeline and what it needs to prepare in advance of an actual site plan review hearing. When Nine A LLC next comes before the Planning Board, the board will consider the completeness of its application. If the application meets Chesterfield's standards, a hearing will be scheduled during which the board will discuss the merits of the project and take public comments.
"We don't have an official proposal before us," said Corliss. However, he noted during the April 15 meeting, Phippard's presentation appeared to be in line with what Nine A LLC had presented to the Zoning Board in 2014.
"I do anticipate this process will be closely watched," said Corliss.
William Saturley, the attorney for Nine A LLC, declined to comment on the project at this time. Phippard did not return a request for comment.
Spofford Hall was built in 1980 by John Chakalos, of Windsor, Conn., where Nine A LLC is located. Chakalos, who also had a home in Chesterfield, was shot dead in his Windsor home on Dec. 20, 2013. His grandson, Nathan Carman, of Vernon, was named by the Windsor Police Department as the main suspect in Chakalos' death, but prosecutors returned unsigned an arrest warrant.
Carman's three aunts have also accused him of killing his mother, Linda Carman, when his boat, the Chicken Pox, went down in deep water off the coast of Block Island in September 2016.
The aunts have filed a so-called "slayer petition" with New Hampshire Probate Court, which is adjudicating the status of the Chakalos estate, arguing that because he is responsible for the death of his mother and grandfather, Carman should not receive any of the proceeds from the estate of his grandfather. His portion of that estate is estimated to be $7 million.
Bob Audette can be contacted at 802-254-2311, ext. 151, or raudette@reformer.com.
