ROCKLAND — A large house on Rockland's Route 1 commercial strip that has sat unoccupied since it was built in 2005 may be converted to five condominiums, if the city's planning board approves proposed plans. The house, with all its 8,000 square-feet of empty space, presides over the corner of Camden Street (Route 1) and Belyea Avenue,  and has evoked curiosity since it was first framed seven years ago.

Rockland's planning board will consider an application to convert it to five residential condominium units March 5 when it convenes at 5:15 p.m. in the Rockland City Hall Council Chambers.

Thompson and Cosgrove LLC, of Union, submitted an application last fall to the city's code enforcement office to convert 220 Camden Street from a single-family dwelling to condominiums. Patrick and Jane Cosgrove, principals of the LLC, acquired the property in October from PNC Bank, which handled its transfer from Bank of America.

Hung Pham, of Rockport, originally constructed the house after getting a building permit in 2005. In 2006, the property was transferred to Tracie Nguyen-Thanh. Bank of America had held the note on the $196,000 investment and foreclosed on the half-acre lot and house in January 2010. The land and house is currently appraised at $590,600, and annual real estate taxes are approximately $17,656.

The Cosgroves told the Rockland Planning Board at its Nov. 6 meeting that they wanted to be sure their plans for the building would meet requirements because they knew it had been a controversial property, according to meeting minutes. Besides purchasing the 220 Camden Street house and its half-acre, they also bought the lot directly behind at 4 Belyea Ave., combining the land into a one-acre lot. They had told Rockland's Code Enforcement Office that they might return to the planning board to seek approval for additional parking spaces and to build garages, later this coming spring.

Currently, there are 10 parking spaces in front of the house.

The Cosgroves consider 220 Camden Street desirable for condos because of its proximity to the Samoset Resort, views of the Rockland Breakwater and its convenient location.

According to the planning board application, the Cosgroves estimate the conversion and renovations to the three-floor building will cost $425,000 and take seven months.

When the building was first proposed in 2005, its plans called for two separate heating and electrical systems. Rockland Code Enforcement Officer noted in his permit documentation addressed to Pham that it "was an unusually large building." The separate systems would "lead most to believe that a mixed used may be intended in the future," he wrote.

The transitional business zone that the building sits in permits both residential and limited nonresidential use; however, a site plan review would be required for anything other than a single- or two-family dwelling.

In 2007, Root followed up with a letter to Pham warning that any use of the building as a nail salon would require a site plan review.

In the end, the building was constructed as a single-family residence, yet it was never occupied.

The Cosgrove subdivision application is the only item on the Rockland Planning Board's March 5 agenda.

Editorial Director Lynda Clancy can be reached at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 706-6657.