The Essex Planning Commission last week rejected prominent Vermont landlord Rick Bove’s proposal to build 60 units in the town.
Commissioners cited Bove’s failure to align his proposal with town plans and a slew of outstanding zoning, fire and safety violations.
“The town has no assurance that similar violations will be avoided or that conditions will be met in the future,” according to the staff report recommending denial. “These violations must be cured and a new track record of compliance be demonstrated before any new approvals for this property are issued.”
The commissioners unanimously adopted town officials’ recommendation to deny Bove’s proposal except Ned Daly, who recused himself from the decision due to a relationship with Bove.
Bove is well known in Vermont, albeit not for the best reasons. Rick Bove and his brother, Mark Bove, run two businesses in the state — one making and selling jarred pasta sauce and the other owning and managing hundreds of rental units across the central and northwestern portions of the state.
Their mismanagement of those units is well documented. In 2019, a renters advocacy group called the family “slumlords,” alleging that they “mistreat their tenants and do not adequately maintain their rental properties,” VTDigger previously reported.
Earlier this month, a joint Seven Days and VPR investigation detailed the brothers’ continued failure to maintain their rental units. The article highlighted stories of cockroach infestations, consistently overflowing dumpsters, leaky faucets, and a general disregard for housing codes and the health and safety of residents.
At the Nov. 18 meeting where the planning commission issued its denial, current residents of Bove-owned buildings in Essex came forward to speak about substandard conditions.
Ever since Bove took control of 4 Carmichael St., the building has been in disarray, said Traci Rochester, who has lived there for 22 years with her daughter. Rochester pointed to leaks gone ignored for months, broken locks, and laundry machines that have been out of commission and unusable for over a year.
“I think for the first 10, 15 years we were there it was really fantastic,” she said. “But since the Bove brothers purchased the building, it has gone way downhill.”
Bove did not respond to multiple requests for an interview but in an email wrote: “We are currently focusing on systemic improvements for our real estate business and consistently providing clean, safe, quality housing for Vermonters.”
Correction: This story has been updated to note that it was members of the planning commission who denied the housing application.
