Hadley ZBA Approves Full Extended Stay Conversion at Former Howard Johnson Hotel

HADLEY — March 26, 2026 — Hadley's Zoning Board of Appeals approved a full extended stay conversion at the former Howard Johnson hotel on Route 9. The board voted 3-0 on March 26 to grant a finding under MGL Chapter 40A, Section 6, that the proposed expansion at 401 Russell Street — converting all 100 units to extended stay with a 30-day minimum stay and kitchenettes — is not substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood than the property's pre-existing nonconforming use. Town Counsel Steve Chaplin advised the board that the use qualified as a nonconforming expansion because the hotel had offered extended stays predating current zoning. Property owner Barry Roberts has separately agreed to pay the town at least $60,000 annually in lieu of room occupancy taxes, compared to roughly $56,000 in total tax collected over the prior seven years. Resident Tony Feiden argued the property was already operating as apartments, citing an application process that requires "credit checks, references, pay stubs, co-signers — not hotel registrations," and urged denial to protect the town's longstanding prohibition on residential apartments.