Gardner ZBA continues special-permit hearing on parking, lighting and survey stakes at 163–165 Pine Street

The Gardner City Zoning Board of Appeals on a continued hearing July 15 continued consideration of a special permit and site changes for 163–165 Pine Street, requesting additional documentation on the property line, a refined lighting plan and an agreement with an abutter about grading and runoff before the board votes.

The hearing matters because the proposal would formalize two “buddy” parking spaces and altered rear parking and circulation for an occupied multiunit building; neighbors said the changes could affect snow removal, runoff and the foundation of an adjacent house. Attorney Christine Tree, representing the owner, told the board she would provide a survey plan with staking of the north boundary line as a condition of the permit if the board requested it.

Board members spent the meeting reviewing revisions to a Mackenzie Engineering plan the applicant filed after earlier meetings. The updated plan added two notes on the site drawings — one indicating that a jersey barrier shown is “designed by others” and intended as a safety measure rather than a retaining wall, and an exterior-lighting note describing fixtures the applicant proposed. The lighting…