Charlemont Planning Board grants special permit to Oxbow Resort owner

Charlemont Planning Board members review Travis DeCere’s plans for the Oxbow Resort on Route 2.

Charlemont Planning Board members review Travis DeCere’s plans for the Oxbow Resort on Route 2. STAFF PHOTO/MADISON SCHOFIELD

Travis DeCere received a special permit from the Planning Board on Thursday to offer both traditional motel rooms and longer month-to-month stays at the Oxbow Resort in Charlemont.

Travis DeCere received a special permit from the Planning Board on Thursday to offer both traditional motel rooms and longer month-to-month stays at the Oxbow Resort in Charlemont. STAFF PHOTO/MADISON SCHOFIELD

The Oxbow Resort on Route 2 in Charlemont.

The Oxbow Resort on Route 2 in Charlemont. STAFF FILE PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

Staff Writer

Published: 06-27-2025 2:26 PM

CHARLEMONT — The Planning Board has granted a special permit to the Oxbow Resort, which will allow the business to offer its customers both traditional motel stays and longer month-to-month accommodations.

Owner Travis DeCere, a real estate agent turned hotelier from Cape Coral, Florida, purchased the vacant Oxbow Resort Motel on Route 2 last fall and has been working to renovate it. On Thursday, the Charlemont Planning Board reviewed DeCere’s progress and unanimously approved his plan, which members said will help meet the goals of the town’s Master Plan to bring in more housing and business.

“I think that’s consistent with the whole mission statement of the Master Plan,” Planning Board member Jen Mooney said.

Per a 1965 Greenfield Recorder article, the motel first opened in 1953 with just six rooms, and later expanded to have 23 rooms, a pool, a shuffleboard court, a golf course and a few lounges. The motel has changed hands a few times since then, and had been vacant and falling into disrepair for years when DeCere bought it.

He told the Planning Board his vision for the property, included converting the back buildings into a R2 non-transient motel while leaving the front as an R1 transient motel. DeCere said that per Massachusetts building code, a transient motel can welcome guests for stays of up to 30 days and non-transient motels can let them stay for longer than 30 days. DeCere said this will allow the Oxbow to be flexible and meet the needs of the community in offering both short-term stays for tourists and longer-term housing.

For example, DeCere said he was contacted by a woman who had just been offered a job in the area and was looking to rent a room for three months while she looked for a house. DeCere said under the traditional R1 zoning regulations he would not be allowed to offer her accommodations past one month, and having a special permit to operate parts of the property as an R2 and parts as an R1 would allow him to serve more guests.

“These are people we would not want to turn away, particularly during the slower season,” DeCere said. “It would be detrimental to the business.”

He also hopes to fix up and reopen the pool and golf course on the property, and is in talks to purchase the abutting restaurant. DeCere said after purchasing and renovating the restaurant space he would like to find a local restaurateur to operate it, but it would likely be at least a year before it could open.

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Planning Board Chair Bob Nelson said when he heard the property had been purchased, he was nervous about what it would become. However, he said he has been impressed with the renovation work.

“Meeting with you and seeing the work you’ve done, that’s alleviated some of those fears,” Nelson said.

Abutters of the property agreed with those sentiments.

“I’ve lived across from the Oxbow Motel since 2013 and have a clear view of the property and how it’s been previously declining,” abutter Kim Blanchard said. “Last year I was happy to hear the property sold and to see what was being done. … As the time passed, I’ve seen how caring Travis is about the property, his tenants and neighbors.”

Planning Board members said they had visited the property and were pleased with the renovations. DeCere said the rooms have been painted, the flooring has been replaced and the kitchenettes have been renovated. Additionally, ramps have been installed to improve accessibility.

Members said they believed the Oxbow Resort met the criteria for a special permit and aligned with the goals of the town’s Master Plan, which wants to see more businesses, housing and tourism in town. DeCere said approving the permit and changing the zoning of the property would not add any strain on town resources, although a few additional children will be enrolled in the schools. He recently hired a property manager who moved onto the site with his five children.

After reviewing the site plans and hearing from the Oxbow Resort’s tenants and neighbors, Planning Board members discussed potential conditions for the special permit, including requiring a staff member to be onsite 24/7 for emergencies and stipulating that the communal kitchen be closed at night.

DeCere said he had no problems with any of the suggested conditions, and that he wants his business and tenants to have a good relationship with the town.

“It sounds pretty boilerplate to me,” DeCere said. “We run a pretty tight ship.”

DeCere will next need to go to the Board of Health and its health agent, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, for a motel license.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.