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Board approves special permit to convert former police station into nine one‑bedroom apartments and two commercial spaces
Summary
The board voted unanimously to grant Richard Stefani a special permit to convert the former Middleborough police station into nine one‑bedroom apartments and two commercial spaces, subject to submitted plans and conditions including stormwater protections for discharge to the Namasket River and parking provisions.
The Zoning Board voted unanimously on Feb. 27, 2025, to grant a special permit to Richard Stefani to convert the former police station at 99 North Main Street (Assessor’s Map 50Q, Lot 5574) into nine one‑bedroom apartments with two commercial spaces for office or retail use.
The application, continued from a prior hearing, included updated plans dated Dec. 19, 2024 and amended Jan. 2, 2025. During the hearing Stefani and staff described exterior lighting as dark‑sky, low‑lit LED fixtures mounted on roughly 10‑foot poles and discussed a submitted maintenance plan for the historic building. The applicant said the redevelopment is primarily interior and that exterior work would be limited to window replacements.
The board placed conditions on the permit. The board required that any construction‑period catch basins be outfitted with silt sacks and protected with straw wattles because runoff from the site discharges to the Namasket River. The board also accepted the applicant’s maintenance plan and the applicant agreed to maintain at least two handicapped parking spaces; board discussion included a stipulation that one handicapped space be reserved for tenants. The applicant said one ADA‑compliant entry would be provided because engineering constraints prevent a second lower‑level ADA access point.
A motion to accept the petition was made and seconded; the motion passed unanimously. The official motion recorded by the board read in part: “I make a motion to accept the petition of Richard Stefani … to be granted a special permit pursuant to section 6.6 0.2 of the Middleborough zoning bylaw to allow for the conversion of the old police station into 9 one‑bedroom apartments and 2 commercial spaces for office, retail.” The board noted the application was subject to the plans submitted and the conditions read into the record.
Why it matters: The project repurposes a historic municipal building for downtown housing and small commercial uses, changes that the board said fit with the business district while adding rental housing stock.
The board approved the findings in support of the permit and closed the matter.
