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ZBA extends use variance for embroidery shop at 310 Margaret Street
Summary
The Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals moved to extend a use variance permitting an embroidery business to continue operating from a garage at 310 Margaret Street in an R‑1 single‑family residential zone.
The Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals voted to extend a use variance allowing an embroidery business to operate from a garage at 310 Margaret Street during its May 7, 2025 meeting.
The motion was made by board member Cabianco and seconded; the clerk called the roll with named board members voting in favor. Chair Detanto announced the extension of the existing use variance and advised the petitioners to consult Mary Scalise about additional paperwork before beginning work.
The petitioners, identified in the record as Deborah (address: 310 Margaret Street) and Gerald (last name not recorded), said the shop primarily fulfills specialty orders that staff deliver rather than serving regular customer visits. Deborah described the proposed work as mostly additional storage and some added workspace in the garage; business hours when customers might visit were described as “probably, from noon to maybe 6.” The board confirmed this was a use variance request only; no area variances were before the board for the proposed addition.
Board members noted the property has held a use variance for the embroidery activity in the past (the record references a 1999 variance). A board member also raised the long‑term concern that a use variance runs with the property and could allow a future owner to introduce a different, higher‑traffic business; that concern factored into the board’s questioning of the petitioners about traffic, hours, and whether they had sought commercial rental space instead. The petitioners said they had looked but found commercial space unaffordable.
A written letter read into the record by the clerk came from a resident who said the embroidery shop has been “a very important asset to the community,” argued that foot traffic from the business is “minor at best,” and said the business does not generate harmful odors or noise.
Action: The board approved an extension of the existing use variance for the embroidery shop at 310 Margaret Street. Chair Detanto and other members signaled approval on the record; the clerk read affirmative roll call responses for named members. Petitioners were directed to contact Mary Scalise about any additional paperwork.
The board moved on to other agenda items after closing public comment on this petition.
