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Zoning Board Grants Special Permit for Barbershop at 97 Webster Street, Unit 16
Summary
The Zoning Board approved a special permit allowing a 920‑square‑foot barbershop to operate at 97 Webster Street, Unit 16. The board approved staff waivers and conditions; the change of use does not alter parking requirements.
The Worcester Zoning Board of Appeals on July 14 granted a special permit to allow a barbershop (service shop/personal service) at 97 Webster Street, Unit 16. The applicant, speaking as Lorraine Barbosa, said the space will be a 920‑square‑foot barbershop that will open with the owner as sole operator and may later expand to as many as six barbers.
City staff (Amy Beth Leith) told the board the space previously operated as retail and that the change of use does not alter the parking requirement. The applicant signed a lease with the building owner and is not proposing structural changes — only interior fit‑out of the leased unit. Proposed hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Board members had no objections; the board considered waivers in the staff memo, including a waiver to not require a surveyed plan of land for this change of use. The ZBA voted unanimously to close the hearing and grant the special permit subject to the staff recommendations and requested waivers.
Motion and vote: Motion to grant a special permit to allow service shop/personal services use in an MG‑2 zone at 97 Webster Street (Unit 16) with staff recommendations and requested waivers; motion carried unanimously (George Cortez — yes; Eric Tacorno — yes; Eric Barton Hagen — yes; Shannon Campanello — yes).
The applicant may proceed with interior fit‑out and must comply with any conditions in the staff memo; because the use does not change parking demand from the prior retail use, no additional parking was imposed.
