Danvers zoning board approves special permit for five storage containers at 20 Popes Lane

The Danvers Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday approved a special permit allowing EDM Construction Inc. to site five storage containers at its contractor's yard at 20 Popes Lane.

The permit allows four containers to remain on site permanently and one to rotate between project sites. The board approved the permit with conditions: a mesh fence up to 10 feet tall, the containers and fence must be in place by April 30, 2026, and the applicant must report back for a compliance check in April 2027.

The application was presented by attorney Nancy McCann on behalf of EDM Construction and by Jacqueline McGill, president of EDM Construction. McCann told the board the site has been used as a contractor's yard for decades and that two containers already on the property predate the town's storage-container rules. "We are requesting a special permit relative to storage containers, to be located at an existing contractor's yard at 20 Pope's Lane," McCann said, adding the containers will be screened behind slatted chain-link fencing or a mesh covering and that the containers would hold company materials, not hazardous substances.

McCann said two of the containers have been on the property for 25 to 30 years and were included in the application as a conservative measure; EDM purchased the site in 2024. She told the board the containers are single-level units, approximately 18 to 20 feet long, about 9 feet wide and 8 feet tall, set on gravel, and will meet the setback and parking requirements in the zoning bylaw.

Board members and town staff asked questions about fencing height, security, whether gates would be locked, what would be stored inside the containers and whether smaller job boxes on the site would be considered storage containers under the bylaw. Josh Morris of the planning department and code enforcement officer Brian Cassidy had previously consulted with the applicant on siting and fencing.

Several board members said the application represented a clean-up and improvement of a site they described as more orderly than its previous condition. Board member Chris Dembowski said, "I like the way the property looks now. It's a big difference from when Manta owned it and had all kinds of things scattered everywhere. I will vote in favor for this." Members agreed on mesh screening rather than slatted chain link and negotiated fence height and timing.

The final motion, approved unanimously, granted the special permit to allow five storage containers on the site, subject to conditions including: (1) the fencing shall be constructed with mesh; (2) the containers shall be moved to the stationary locations shown on the approved plan and the fencing completed by April 30, 2026; (3) the fence may be up to 10 feet in height; and (4) the applicant must return for a check-in in April 2027.

The board and applicant discussed enforcement and site management. Jacqueline McGill said site gates would be kept locked and operated by EDM staff. McCann and Ms. McGill also stated the fifth container would be used on projects and would not remain on site for 180 consecutive days, consistent with the town's temporary-storage language.

The board placed no additional permit requirement on electric, plumbing, or heating in the containers; the applicant affirmed none would be installed. The board also adopted a condition that no materials would be stacked on top of the containers.

The decision records the board's finding that the proposal would not be detrimental to the public good and would not substantially deviate from the intent of the Danvers zoning bylaw when carried out under the conditions outlined in the permit.