TRURO — Lack of an onsite manager at a popular North Truro vacation spot last summer resulted in problems for guests as well as the neighborhood, and the board of health wants to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself.
Sandbars Inn, at 570 Shore Road, has 17 rental units. Sixteen are for guests and one is reserved for a property manager. In Truro, health regulations require that a manager live on the site if there are more than 10 rental units.
Sandbars requested a variance from the on-site management requirement for the upcoming summer, and the health board denied the request at its March 7 meeting.
This was the first time Sandbars owner Beachtree Property Holdings of Maryland had requested a variance from the requirement. The reason, according to the company’s lawyer, is the difficulty in finding someone to stay on the property for the season.
Attorney Matthew Tucker explained what Sandbars was looking for. “We’re asking for a variance to allow us to operate similarly to a property with 10 or fewer units, which has a manager who fulfills all the duties of a manager except doesn’t live on the premises,” he said.
Vacasa, a property management company hired by Beachtree Properties, oversees the rental complex. While there are room cleaners and maintenance staff on-site during the day, the on-site manager is supposed to live at the property and be available around the clock.
Tucker conceded that there had been a snafu with on-site management last summer. “My understanding is that we had somebody who was going to be the on-site manager who basically resigned after the season started, so we did run into some problems,” he said.
Residents of the neighborhood submitted letters to health officials outlining some of those problems and urging them to deny the variance.
“During the 2022 season, neighborhood issues included Sandbars’ guests walking over fragile dunes onto adjacent properties, unrestrained dogs of Sandbars’ guests roaming the beach and private property areas beyond the dunes, and an unattended beach fire on the property,” neighbor Leonard Connolly wrote.
Mariellen Serena, who rents out her property at 572 Shore Road to vacationers, said that last summer she received frequent calls from her guests who were upset because “the Sandbars trespassers were sitting on my chairs and my private property.” When Serena went to the property to deal with the trespassers, “I would be challenged,” she said, “and many times a normal interaction to explain the situation became confrontational.”
Neighbors also claimed the number of occupants per room had soared since there was no one there to monitor the room occupancy limit. They provided health officials with a string of unfavorable reviews posted online by guests of Sandbars last summer.
Tucker told the board that Beachtree now planned to do things differently. “We re-evaluated our relationship with Vacasa and are requiring them to have a quicker response time,” he said. The company would have a point person to field calls from guests and contact a network of repair and maintenance staff, and someone would respond to a call in less than 30 minutes, he said.
Tracey Rose, who chairs the board of health, said she was disappointed that the property owner had not notified the town when the on-site manager resigned last summer. “It’s very disturbing to say the least,” Rose said. “I’m very grateful there were no serious accidents.”
The company had operated in violation of town regulations, she said, adding, “I think we need to determine if there is any consequence for that.”
When Rose asked where Vacasa’s office was located, Tucker said he believed they worked remotely. “My understanding is they don’t have an office on the Cape,” he said. He added that the person who would manage the Sandbars for Vacasa this summer lives in Dennis.
“Not having someone who can go out there and take care of problems right away is going to lead to a lot of angry neighbors and a lot of unhappy guests,” said board member Jason Silva. Continuing with that practice for the upcoming year wouldn’t be good, he said.
Tucker floated the idea of shutting down some of the rentals. “If we shut off seven of the 17 units and reduce it to 10, could we reapply for an offsite manager?” he asked. The idea was just a thought, he added, “so I’m kind of just throwing it out there as an alternative.”
Board members did not answer that question directly, instead pointing out it would be far cheaper to pay an on-site manager than to lose revenue from seven units for the entire season.
Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to deny the variance, with Silva abstaining because he works in the rental business.
“I’m sure you’re not pleased with the way this has turned out, but surely we need to work together and to provide a better solution for the property,” Rose told Tucker. The rental complex doesn’t open until mid-May, Tucker said.
The attorney said that Beachtree has owned Sandbars for 20 years and has maintained a reputation as a good property owner. “We intend to continue getting back to how we had managed,” he said.
