![\"In](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134613122,imgsize-220854,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-photo.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA Connecticut couple who bought 50 acres of land in Roxbury in 2022 is fighting a zoning dispute after town officials told them they could not continue allowing hikers and dog owners to use their private forest trails for a fee.According to CT Mirror, Charles and Eli Copley had bought the property with plans to renovate an old cottage and manage the surrounding woodland. The couple worked with a forester to develop a forest management plan. The work included removing rubbish, deteriorating hunting structures and invasive species from the property. They also built a trail system through the woods to improve access for managing the land and eventually created about 1.3 miles of trails.The Copleys also wanted regular foot traffic to help control low-growing vegetation on the trails. Therefore, in 2024, they listed the property on Sniffspot, an online platform that allows people to rent private properties by the hour for dog walking. The Copleys charged $10 an hour and also allowed hikers to use the trails.The arrangement was meant to help maintain the trails and recover some of the costs of managing the forest. The property received about two or three bookings a week while the listing was active.<\/p>\n The arrangement continued for several months before the Copleys received a letter from the Roxbury Land Use Department in April 2025. The letter warned of a possible zoning violation and referred to the property as a \u201cdog park\u201d. It also included requirements for operating a \u201chome enterprise\u201d and advised the couple to stop renting out the property until the requirements were met.The Copleys initially tried to work with the town. They applied for permission to rent out the trails and spent months discussing the issue with officials. According to the couple, they were eventually told that they would need to combine the two parcels making up their property into one lot.The couple said doing so would require expensive surveys and could affect their ability to build a second house on the property. They did not agree to consolidate the parcels. They also explored changes to the town’s zoning rules but remained unable to find a way to reopen the trails.<\/p>\n The Institute for Justice, which is representing the Copleys, said the couple stopped taking reservations after receiving the town’s notice and spent more than a year trying to resolve the issue.In August, attorneys for the Copleys sent a letter to Roxbury officials demanding that the couple be allowed to rent parts of the property for recreation or be given an explanation of why the activity violates local zoning rules.\u201cThe town has been unable to explain how allowing people to walk outside on private property could possibly be problematic, and that\u2019s because there is no reason,\u201d said John Korevec, an attorney with the Institute for Justice.\u201cThe Copleys have done this before without incident, and to our knowledge, there\u2019s been no complaints,\u201d Korevec added. \u201cZoning codes are supposed to prevent genuine nuisances, not punish peaceful people who are doing nothing wrong. That\u2019s zoning abuse,\u201d he said.Charles questiones why allowing people to walk on the forest had become such a difficult issue. \u201cI just kept thinking, like, how can this be so hard with something as innocuous as this? Like, if I can\u2019t do this, can anybody do anything?\u201d he asked during a virtual press conference on August 27.The Institute for Justice argues that the couple’s forest management plan included low-impact recreation and that the town’s zoning rules allow agricultural and forestry uses as well as certain accessory uses. It also points to similar uses on land managed by a local land trust.The organisation further argues that the couple’s activity is different from a conventional home-based business because people are using outdoor trails rather than operating inside the house.<\/p>\n Tim Hollister, a land use attorney at the Hartford firm Hinckley Allen, told CT Mirror that home enterprise rules are common in Connecticut zoning codes and are often used for businesses such as a small medical office operating from a home.However, he said he had not heard of such rules being applied to outdoor activities. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t occur inside your house, so it\u2019s not a home enterprise,\u201d Hollister said.He also noted that other issues, including parking or portable restroom access, could potentially raise separate zoning questions. \u201cIt may be something else, but it\u2019s not the general understanding of the term home enterprise,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n The Copleys wanted hikers to help keep low-growing vegetation under control. (Institute for justice photo) A Connecticut couple who bought 50 acres of land in Roxbury in 2022 is fighting a zoning dispute after town officials told them they could not continue allowing hikers and dog owners to use their private forest trails for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph-150x150.avif","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph-300x169.avif","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-copleys-wanted-hikers-to-help-keep-low-growing-vegetation-under-control-institute-for-justice-ph.avif"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"The Copleys wanted hikers to help keep low-growing vegetation under control. 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Copleys challenge town’s interpretation<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Appeal keeps dispute open<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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