Bed and Breakfast Owner Speaks to Council

Tucked inside a gabled brick house on Oglethorpe Street is a cozy nest for humans – otherwise known as Aaron Dorfman and Geneen Massey's bed and breakfast.

The couple's home offers two bedrooms for guests, with king sized beds, one with a garden view.  There are laundry facilities and a bathroom, including a steam shower and Jacuzzi tub for two. The laundry area includes a Keurig single-use coffee pot, sink, microwave, mini-refrigerator and toaster oven.

There is also a full family kitchen available if you'd like a hot breakfast instead of the continental meal provided by the homeowners.

Oh, and two golden retrievers.

Bed and breakfasts are not allowed in Hyattsville because the city is covered by areas that have certain zoning requirements. There are two county-established Transit District Overlay Zones (TDOZs) in Hyattsville, each surrounding one of the Metro stations.

There is also a Gateway Arts Overlay Zone (GAOZ), which covers the entire city minus the TDOZs and University Hills, said City Councilman Timothy Hunt (Ward 3).

A couple years ago, the county passed an ordinance defining the term "bed and breakfast." Before that, the county did not include bed and breakfasts in its table of uses – a document that stipulates what can be done in a TDOZ or in the GAOZ. That table was not updated after the county defined what makes a bed and breakfast, Hunt said.

The Code Enforcement Advisory Committee is recommending that these establishments should be allowed to operate within all areas of the City of Hyattsville. The Hyattsville Planning Committee recommends that bed and breakfasts should be allowed within the Gateway Arts District Overlay Zone if that is the majority opinion among the participating communities. It did not address their operation within the West Hyattsville or the Prince George's Plaza Transit District Overlay Zones.

A motion to send correspondence to the county on this matter was on the agenda for discussion at last night's council meeting. However, the council adjourned their public meeting to go into closed session before the item could be addressed.

Dorfman spoke to the council in the public comment portion of the meeting.

"Allowing bed and breakfasts is good publicity for the City of Hyattsville," he said. "B and b's provide visitors and potential new residents the chance to see firsthand … the City of Hyattsville."

Dorfman and Massey have had guests from 24 different countries and 26 different states. He said most are tourists but some are looking to relocate to the area.

"B and b's are good for the local economy," he said. "Government shouldn't be in the business of restricting people's freedom unless there is a good reason to do so."