19 December—It appears that two hotels are going to be opening in Litchfield in the near future. And Litchfield needs them like a hole in the head. Most of the people I’ve spoken to don’t even want them.

One of the undesirables is the so-called boutique hotel a developer wants to put in the former courthouse on West Street. Litchfield’s town offices should be moving to the courthouse. Repeat: Litchfield’s town offices should be moving to the courthouse. But because the Greater Litchfield Preservation Trust (GLPT) came up with a cost- and corner-cutting plan for the repurposing a few years ago which penny-wise, pound-foolish (as usual) Litchfield voters rejected anyway, GLPT has been forced to allow the property to be converted into a hostelry that may encourage more visitors than we really want.

And, from what I can gather, the courthouse boutique hotel will be a compromise at best. Main access will be in the town parking lot, which will be accessible through an alley between the courthouse and one of the adjacent buildings. Or, I imagine, one of the other West Street alleys. Imagine having to drive down an alley to get to an expensive hotel and being greeted by a parking lot full of dumpsters, loose trash, and a public toilet. Of course, for whatever reasons, the front (West Street) entrance to the new hotel will be closed off in the bargain.

If they’re gonna do it and spend big bucks in the process, why not do it right? And that means having Litchfield Planning and Zoning and the borough’s dreaded Hysteric District Commission cooperating.

Planning and Zoning already has cooperated on converting the former Rose Haven nursing home on North Street into what’s being touted as a bed and breakfast. It’s to be called the Belden House. Or just Belden House, evidently after the guy who built it.

And what a B&B Belden House will be. Twenty-two rooms (two more than the courthouse hotel, all presumably with bathrooms ensuite), restaurant and bar, fitness center, swimming pool. Very impressive. The parents visiting their kids at Forman School ($83,000 a year) are bound to love it.

I may be ill-informed and totally not with it, but Belden House sounds more like a full-service luxury hotel than a bed and breakfast. Besides everything else, Litchfield zoning regs clearly require that “The owner of the principle dwelling resides on the lot housing the bed and breakfast use.” The owner of Belden House currently lives in a beautiful house just up North Street. So will the owner move down the street to comply with the law? Or will Litchfield P&Z go even more out of its way to comply with the Belden House owner?