A closer look at Elm Court Estate

Elm Court, an opulent estate located in Stockbridge is poised to be turned into a high-end spa with approval from the Stockbridge voters to allow for a spa-resort.

These estates in Berkshire County have become an endangered group over the years as the costs to develop and maintain have increased. Yet, many have been saved, restored and have become an attraction to our tourist industry.

As a preservationist, I am inclined to help bring these estates up to code so visitors and tourists alike can enjoy them either as guests or when attending special events on site.

Christopher Manning, of Denver, Colo., and Amstar, invited Stockbridge and Lenox residents to an open house last Wednesday that was fully catered in style by Michael Ballon and crew.

According to its website, Amstar is a real estate investment manager that acquires, develops and manages office, multifamily, retail, hotel and industrial properties in select U.S. and international markets. Amstar currently has more than $2.3 billion in assets under management.

Robert Berle, grandson of Colonel Helm George Wilde and Mrs. Marjorie Field Wilde, former owners of Highland Farm in Lee, took over the property and rehabbed it before moving to Georgia. It was on the market for about $20 million and later sold to the Amstar Company for $9.8 million. Mrs. Wilde was the great-great-granddaughter of William H. Vanderbilt.

Amstar wants to expand the building of 55,000 square feet to include another building of 44,000 square feet.

However, the company needs a two-thirds vote of the Stockbridge Town Meeting members on May 20.

It would seem the developer would be better served to lay its plans out before the public meeting and hold an informational meeting prior to the vote.

While it may appear the vote to go forward is in place, there is never a 100-percent guarantee.

In brief, the goal is to create a proposed bylaw which gives the selectmen the ability, in the appropriate circumstances, to waive the 35-foot height limitation for a single additional structure if it’s attached to the main structure, smaller than the main structure and no higher than the main structure, say 50 feet.

And it is, of course, limited to properties qualifying under the Cottage Era Estates Bylaw, which all have at least 80 acres, among other things. 

If the bylaw were approved, then Elm Court, and any Cottage Era Estate, would need to go through the Special Permit process in order to build any structure that falls under this zoning modification. 

The Special Permit process includes going in front of the Conservation Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission and the Board of Selectmen for a permit.  Upon receiving a Special Permit, any applicant would then need to work with the Building Department to get a Building Permit.

Lenox will have to agree to provide permits including supplying water to the estate and also allow for hookup for public sewage.

One idea may allow them to connect and have a plan much like Tanglewood, whereby they collect the waste daily and pump into the system at night through a two-and-a-half-inch pipe.

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Mr. Manning is a senior vice president for Amstar and is co-founder and president of Travaasa Experiential Resorts, Amstar’s destination hospitality subsidiary. He joined Amstar during 2008 and is responsible for Travaasa’s day-to-day activities and management of all property operations, personnel and financial performance.

Prior to joining Amstar, located at 1050 17th St. in Denver, Mr. Manning was a residential real estate developer where he entitled, designed, built and sold urban infill projects in downtown Denver. He began his career in strategy consulting, where he worked with Fortune 500 companies and start-ups.

Mr. Manning holds a B.S. from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

If the voters agree, Stockbridge will be the recipient of both meal and bed taxes; Lenox will receive money for water and sewer use.

Both towns are in favor of preserving estates, and both offer historical perspectives from The Red Lion Inn, Norman Rockwell Museum and the Marion Fathers in Stockbridge to the B&Bs, Edith Wharton Museum and Ventfort Hall, along with the non-profits of Tanglewood, Shakespeare and Company and a number of art galleries, in Lenox.

Posted by George C. Jordan III on April 25, 2013. Filed under Opinion,View from the Tower. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry