CHARLEMONT — A Florida real estate agent turned hotelier is looking to help address the region’s housing needs by redeveloping a vacant motel on Route 2 into affordable apartments.

Travis DeCere of Cape Coral, Florida, is renovating the former Oxbow Resort Motel into a split property offering traditional motel rooms and longer-term month-to-month apartments for rent, which will be called the Oxbow Resort.

Renovations have been underway for about two months, but DeCere said he has been planning a new future for the property for two years.

DeCere first learned about the former motel after his property manager, Greg Ryng, who was working as a bartender in southern Florida, met the Charlemont property’s former owner, Don Kahn. Kahn was looking to sell some of his properties in both Florida and Massachusetts and enlisted DeCere’s help.

DeCere and Ryng took a trip to Charlemont and fell in love with region.

“Both of us really connected with the community,” DeCere recalled. “We felt we didn’t want to just sell these assets, we wanted to build something and become part of this community.”

The Oxbow Resort Motel has been passed between several owners over the years. Per a 1965 Greenfield Recorder article, the motel first opened in 1953 with just six rooms, and later expanded to having 23 rooms, a pool, shuffleboard, golf course and a few lounges.

After two years of negotiating, DeCere and Kahn reached a deal and DeCere officially purchased the 1741 Route 2 property on Sept. 30 for $500,000 under Shelburne Equity LLC. Since then, DeCere, Ryng and Operations Manager Cynthia Garcia have been renovating the space. Twelve rooms have already been renovated and leased, with move-in dates beginning in December and a waiting list for additional units.

DeCere said 16 of the building’s 25 total units will become apartments that are available to rent on a month-to-month basis with all amenities — including heat, electricity and internet — included in the rental cost. The remaining nine units, he said, will continue to be motel rooms after they are renovated. Prices will range from $99 to $200 for daily motel rooms, and $1,050 to $1,150 per 30 days, with no income restrictions. He added he wanted to keep prices affordable and flexible for seasonal workers and others looking for just month-to-month rentals rather than yearly leases.

Renovations are still underway. DeCere said he and his team have made good progress, despite hitting some setbacks due to needing to update the septic system to meet Title 5 requirements.

“These things need to be done safely and correctly,” DeCere said.

He added that he is grateful to the town and county officials who have been incredibly supportive in his endeavors and have helped cut through “red tape” that could have made getting the property running again as a hybrid site offering motel rooms and extended stay rooms very difficult.

The motel has not been operational for more than a decade, according to DeCere. He’s excited to bring the property back to life.

“We really think we can make this something special,” DeCere said. “There’s a lot of exciting opportunity to create jobs and housing here.”

In addition to the rooms being upgraded, DeCere said he has 5,000 square feet of ballroom, restaurant and banquet hall space that needs to be renovated as well, and he’s looking into restaurateurs to partner with in Phase 2 of the project. In his multi-phase plan, DeCere is looking to also improve the tennis court and evaluate how the rest of the 9-acre property might be used for recreation, including a possible public golf course.

“This is just Phase 1. We’d love to eventually see a golf course and other community amenities developed on the land there,” DeCere said. “Our goal is to support and serve the community.”

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