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Planning board to draft letter to ZBA over multiple unpermitted uses, noise and landscaping concerns at 355 Turnpike Road
Summary
Planning Board members agreed to ask staff to send a letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals documenting possible site‑plan noncompliance at 355 Turnpike Road, including additional commercial uses, possible fabrication, lack of required landscaping, and neighborhood noise and parking complaints.
Southborough — The Planning Board agreed Monday to draft a letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals raising compliance concerns about multiple uses at 355 Turnpike Road, after members reported new and ongoing site operations that appear different from the property’s approved 1986 site plan.
Planning staff told the board that the property appears to host a mix of activities not shown on the 1986 plan, including a fence company, a granite showroom that may advertise fabrication, an exotic auto detailing and car‑show venue, and apparent used‑car sales activity. Board members said residents have reported noise issues tied to weekend car‑show events at the site and excessive engine revving that resulted in police calls.
Board members noted the 1986 approved site plan listed uses as apartment, auto repair, and limo service, and that the parking and landscaping required then do not match current site conditions. Planning staff and members said the site’s parking and landscaping appear out of compliance with both the 1986 plan and current landscaping requirements, which today call for a wider planting buffer and additional screening.
Board members asked planning staff to prepare a letter to the ZBA that would (a) document the currently observed uses vs. the approved site plan, (b) note instances where fabrication or other uses may require special permits, (c) document landscaping and parking noncompliance, and (d) request zoning enforcement and ZBA review ahead of the site’s scheduled ZBA hearing on Oct. 15. A board member offered to draft the letter for submittal; the board accepted that offer and instructed staff to circulate the draft for comment.
Why it matters: the parcel is in an industrial/commercial area whose permitted uses and site conditions were last formally documented in 1986; the board said multiple modern uses and public complaints merit ZBA review and enforcement checks to determine whether new permits or corrective actions are required.
What’s next: planning staff will prepare and circulate a draft letter to the ZBA; the board will forward observations and any recommended conditions or enforcement requests ahead of the Oct. 15 ZBA agenda.
