Comments on: TOWN COUNCIL: Final Appeal Tonight on Hotel Cape Charles

By: Katherine Myles

Katherine Myles — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 23:41:37 +0000

I think the Hotel is beautiful and gives the town a much needed face lift. I’m all for historic preservation, but can we just move on?!

By: David Gay

David Gay — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:06:25 +0000

Why not issue the occupancy permit and charge a monthly fine until the building meets architectural approval. That way the town council will not lose face but get additional revenue and Mr. Gammino gets to run his hotel but doesn’t get off Scot-free. After all, someone has to pay for those reduced water bills that the other developer (Echelon) got for the Old School. Eventually, he will comply with the architectural committee if he wants to keep more of his revenue.

By: Roseann Chin

Roseann Chin — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:17:40 +0000

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the scaffolding up and it was boarded over. It is my recollection that the front of the hotel was not visible during construction. Maybe just maybe that’s because the owner was trying to hide the changes until the construction was complete.

By: Dan Breeze

Dan Breeze — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:34:52 +0000

This is going to be tough. When given the temporary occupancy permit was there a condition to change the balconies to receive a permanent certificate? Sounds like there was; Mr. Gammino submitted other designs to conform with the required guidelines so he was aware of the problem.
However, was any of this put into writting? If it was it is a matter of record.
During the installation of the balconies, which did not happen over night, didn’t anyone from the historic district notice these glass balconies going up? Come on, it’s Cape Charles, you can’t wave at someone on Mason without your nieghbor knowing about it back on Madison within minutes.
I think what you have here is someone who changed the plans and, like the rest of us, figured it was better to ask forgiveness than permission, or figured if it was not right someone would say something then.
OR, we have some person or people who decided that even though the code wasn’t being followed, didn’t want to say something because they didn’t want to get the other person upset. So nothing was said.
More to truth, having come from Cape Charles, someone saw the changes and, just for giggles and their own pleasure, decided to wait to say something so there would be this whole mess going on. Just to make people miserable. They are probably sitting back chuckling to themselves.
Best to leave this to the Historic Society, the business owner and Town Council.

By: Steve Downs

Steve Downs — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:14:29 +0000

It has been suggested to me by a person who has knowledge of this situation that the best thing to do would be to fine Mr. Gammino’s company in the amount of $150 and then move on. The hotel opens and the town has made its point. Sounds reasonable to me. Everybody benefits from the hotel being open in Cape Charles. Nobody does if it doesn’t.

By: Bruce Wayne Jones

Bruce Wayne Jones — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:13:09 +0000

Looks like the Town council is between a rock and a hard place. Since the project was not monitored well to prevent this until it was ‘too late’ they likely will need to allow the change. However I think Mr. Gammino is a bit arrogant in that he knew the process, and decided to make the change without approval, maybe he knew it would get shot down. This also can open a pandoras box if you will, to other people restoring buildings in the historic district, to find a way around getting something that normally would not pass. I think the Historic district review board needs to cut more teeth, and be much more attentive to what is going on, if you want to have a specific look to the historic district. If they or the town fail to do so, they will place themselves in this position again in the future.