ZBA approves Brewster Academy special exception to convert 209 South Main into girls’ dormitory
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Summary
The Zoning Board granted Brewster Academy a special exception to convert a bed-and-breakfast at 209 South Main Street into a girls’ dormitory for about 10 students, with conditions requiring building- and fire-code review and notification to the planning board for site-plan work.
The Wolfeboro Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a special exception allowing Brewster Academy to convert an existing bed-and-breakfast at 209 South Main Street into a girls’ dormitory for roughly 10 students. The board voted to grant the special exception after hearing the academy’s presentation and reviewing the site during a site visit earlier the same day.
Caroline Palucha, attorney for Brewster Academy, told the board the conversion would house about 10 students—two per room in five bedrooms—supervised by on-site faculty in a separate residence unit. “The proposed use will actually reduce traffic, when compared to the previous use of the property as a bed and breakfast,” Palucha said, noting students are generally not permitted to have cars and any student vehicles would be limited to the main campus parking lot.
Palucha said Brewster will make limited exterior changes: updated signage and key-card retrofitting for entry doors for security. She said the academy submitted a minor site-plan application to the town technical review committee and that the building and fire departments would review required sprinkler and alarm systems as part of a change-of-use review.
Board members discussed parking, narrow stairs, lighting for safety and the role of the planning board and the technical review committee (TRC) in reviewing site-plan changes. The board added conditions that any significant change to the approved site plan — such as additions, sheds, or changes to the footprint — must return to the ZBA, and that the property’s uses must remain accessory to the dormitory.
The vote was unanimous. The board’s written conditions require the applicant to obtain all applicable federal and state permits and comply with the Town of Wolfeboro building code prior to construction or occupancy; the notice of decision must be recorded with the Carroll County Register of Deeds, and the special exception must be exercised within two years or be extended for good cause.
The applicant said the property is in two zoning designations: an underlying Village Residential zone (where dormitories require a special exception) and an overlay Residential/Office/Institutional (ROI) zone, where school uses can be permitted. Brewster filed for the special exception after town staff advised moving forward under the stricter special-exception review. The academy also noted nearby institutional and dormitory uses, including an adjacent performing arts center and other Brewster dorms, as precedent for the request.
The board closed the public hearing, found the eight special-exception criteria met, and approved the conversion with the stated conditions. The matter will proceed also through the planning board’s site-plan review process as the academy finalizes exterior details.
