Madison Board Makes Decision on New Bed & Breakfast Proposal

MADISON, CT - The Planning and Zoning Commission gave its approval, by unanimous vote, to allow the owner of The Homestead, 391 Boston Post Road, to convert the site from a congregate living facility into a bed and breakfast.

The Planning and Zoning Commission heard about the plans from Director of Planning and Economic Development David Anderson at its February meeting and voted to approve the plan - by a 9-0- vote at its March meeting.

Anderson said the owner, Ralph Guardiano, wants to open a bed and breakfast at the site. Anderson said that current regulations allow four-room bed and breakfasts by rights in residential zones and by special exception in the downtown and commercial districts.

Anderson said the PZC had to vote to revise regulations to allow the bed and breakfast at the site.
Guardiano said The Homestead was run as a business in Madison for 30 years, until he bought the property from his mother, and he has since been doing renovations.

"It looks like a bed and breakfast, and it feels like a bed and breakfast," Guardiano said.
Guardiano said as an experiment he listed the site on Airnb and within six hours there were so many responses that he "had to take it off the website."

He added that he would also consider using the site for wedding parties, and said a bed and breakfast would bring tourists to town and increase traffic to nearby, downtown businesses.