LAKE PLACID — The owners of the historic Stagecoach Inn want to build a new bed and breakfast that would also provide free housing for a local family.

Michael and Stacia Takach went before the Lake Placid-North Elba Review Board last week to seek approval for the conditional use of an undeveloped piece of property on Stagecoach Way for the proposed bed and breakfast, which would be located across from the Stagecoach Inn. The Takachs are Lake Placid residents, and Michael said they’ve been working in hospitality here for around 10 years. He said they also own a licensed boardinghouse on Stagecoach Way.

Michael said the new bed and breakfast would have five bedrooms for the bed and breakfast guests and three bedrooms to provide year-round, “workforce” housing for a family of up to four who could operate the bed and breakfast and live there rent-free. Michael said that the family would also receive a “generous” income for operating the bed and breakfast.

Michael sees the bed and breakfast as filling several needs in Lake Placid — it would provide free housing to a local family, it could add two more students to the Lake Placid Central School District’s gradually declining enrollment numbers and it could give a family the opportunity to save up to eventually purchase their own home here, all while serving Lake Placid tourists.

Michael also sees the project as an alternative to publicly-funded workforce housing, like the MacKenzie Overlook project that’s under construction on Wesvalley Road, and to short-term vacation rentals. Michael said the bed and breakfast would be generating occupancy tax while providing housing for a local family, and he hopes the town starts to use that occupancy tax to create more workforce housing.

Michael added that he’s had bed and breakfast guests who have later decided to move to Lake Placid after having a positive tourism experience here, which he believes is another “backend benefit” to having lodging that isn’t an STR or a hotel and that he feels is often left out of STR and workforce housing discussions.

“We think that we’re hopefully opening the town’s eyes to an idea that would solve a lot of what they claim their issues are in town,” he said.

Michael said that only one adult in the operating family would be required to run the bed and breakfast, so the other adult could seek their own job locally, giving the family two incomes. He said that people usually don’t run an inn for more than 10 years since it’s taxing work, and in that time he said a family could save up enough money to purchase their own home in town. Then, another family could move in to operate the bed and breakfast and have the same opportunity to save up for a new home.

Michael said he’s used a similar system in the past for people who’ve worked at the Stagecoach Inn. He said he employs up to 10 people locally, and all of their jobs pay “north” of the average local salary so people can afford to live here.

“We’re hoping that some people look at this as a big positive benefit to the town and maybe a model for some future growth,” he said.

Michael said he’s still in the early planning phases of the project, and he plans to return to the review board later for an architectural review if he gets approved for the conditional use.

The review board planned to visit the property for a site review this week. A public hearing for the conditional use approval will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 in the North Elba Town Hall. People can attend virtually at https://meet.goto.com/904841533.