Select Board votes to rescind Searles hotel permit
Select Board · Meeting of September 14, 2026
Great Barrington rescinds decade-old Searles hotel permit, effective Dec. 31. The Select Board voted unanimously on a motion from member Eric Gabriel to rescind the special permit for the stalled Searles School hotel project at 79 Bridge Street, unless developer 79 Bridge Street Realty LLC shows "meaningful progress" by year's end. Gabriel noted the project's original approval projected $450,000 in annual tax revenue and 30 jobs that never materialized.
Town Counsel Michael warned the town "cannot compel" construction even after rescission. Separately, the board heard that the collapsed, uninsured former Monument Mills mill building on Park Street will cost "multiple millions of dollars" to stabilize and dispose of, with a funding article planned for the Oct. 19 special town meeting. The board also voted unanimously to support a resolution backing Temporary Protected Status for the town's roughly 66-member Haitian community connected to the nonprofit Bridge.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
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- The complete report — 3,825 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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