Zoning board continues review of 163–165 Pine Street special-permit compliance after revised parking plan and proposed easement

The Gardner City Zoning Board of Appeals continued a public-hearing review of special-permit conditions at 163–165 Pine Street after the permit holder presented revised parking plans, a draft permanent easement for two off‑site spaces at 307 Pine Street and a proposal to construct a roughly 6‑foot retaining wall to reconfigure an on‑site space.

The matter returned to the board for follow-up on a retaining wall that was built in the wrong location and for alternatives the permit holder proposed to restore the number of required parking spaces. Attorney Christine Tree, representing the permit holder MHG 3 Fund LLC (applicant named in the file as Jonathan Bombacci), told the board contractor work to fix an exit landing has a signed contract and that a building permit was pulled in March for that work. Tree said the work must be inspected before the building commissioner can issue the verification letter the board requested about whether other outstanding building conditions remain.

Why it matters: The property is operating under a special permit with conditions that the board must enforce. The dispute centers on whether the applicant can meet parking requirements on site, whether two off‑site spaces at a nearby property can be recorded as a permanent easement and counted toward compliance, and whether changes to off‑site parking would require a separate special‑permit application for 307 Pine Street.

What was…