Zoning board approves Sunrise Aftercare transfer, liquor-store site and rear-deck variances; one withdrawal granted

The Chelsea City Zoning Board of Appeals on Dec. 10 approved several routine land-use items, including a transfer of a special permit for Sunrise Aftercare LLC, a major-site special permit for a proposed Market Basket liquor store and variances for a rear deck at a laundromat at 29 Central Ave.

At the start of the meeting the board agreed to accept the transfer request for case 2024-21 (125–139 Library St.) subject to the conditions originally imposed on the special permit and the requirement that the new owner apply for a new special permit. Attorney Dina Brown of Blitzer & Blitzer, representing the applicant, thanked the board after the vote: “Thank you so much for the courtesy of letting me go ahead of time,” she said.

Separately, the board approved a request to withdraw case 2024-19 without prejudice after a motion and second were recorded and no members of the public spoke on that petition.

The board then considered a major-site plan and special permit (case 2024-20) for a proposed 19,978-square-foot liquor store at 170 Everett Ave. Carmine Thomas, development manager for Market Basket, said the applicant and its engineers had reviewed and accepted the planning-board conditions. Planning staff noted the planning board had recommended approval with the conditions listed in the board packet; the board moved and voted to approve the special permit with standard and planning-board conditions.

Later in the agenda, the board approved case 2024-22, a special permit and variances allowing construction of a roughly 20-by-25-foot rear deck and a small vent structure to provide dryer makeup air behind an existing laundromat at 29 Central Ave. The applicant, Christopher Friend, said the deck would include perimeter benches and would be used when weather permits; the board and staff agreed on mitigation conditions including restricted hours of operation. The planning-board conditions adopted by the zoning board set the deck’s allowable hours to 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., require design review and prohibit lighting that would spill onto abutting properties.

Motions to approve those items were made from the dais (movers recorded in the transcript as Arthur and Hugo) and the board recorded affirmative votes. The meeting packet and the planning department record the specific conditions that accompany each approval.

The board concluded its voting business and moved on to other agenda items and staff updates before adjourning.