The Town of Lakeville Zoning Board of Appeals on Dec. 18 granted conditional approval for a special permit allowing a single-family dwelling at 12 Highland Road, a parcel technically zoned for business use.

Attorney Medaris, representing the petitioner, told the board the parcel (Assessor Map 31, Block 2, Parcel 10) is currently one 3.43-acre lot and the applicant proposes to divide it into two lots — Lot 1 at 1.61 acres and Lot 2 at 1.82 acres — then replace the existing commercial structure on Lot 2 with a residence while retaining the house at 12 Highland Road. "We are going to have to go through the planning board process to separate this into 2 lots," Medaris said.

The board's review focused on setbacks and zoning classification. Medaris said the proposed rear setback would be about 31.5 feet and the side setback about 49.2 feet; the business district requires a 60-foot setback, so the application requested relief or at least a favorable opinion before the applicant pursues ANR approval from the Planning Board. The chair read a December 15 Board of Health memo noting that a Madigan land survey dated Oct. 24, 2025 shows sufficient area for an on-site sewage disposal system and that the existing well and septic do not appear to be impacted; "the Board of Health has no objections to the proposed lots," the chair stated.

A nearby resident, Janice Picosa of 6 Highland Road, said, "Basically, we had not heard about this at all, and we were just wondering where the buildings were gonna be placed," and after review told the board she had no objection. Board members discussed procedural options — granting conditional approval subject to the Planning Board's ANR review or continuing the hearing until ANR is secured — and the applicant indicated either path would be acceptable.

A motion to approve the special permit, conditioned on planning-board/ANR approval and related conditions, was made and seconded; the chair announced the motion carried. The board noted that final signatures and formalities could await Planning Board approval and discussed the normal 20-day appeal/filing period. Medaris estimated aspects of the timeline could take several months for associated steps.

The board also completed routine business, approving minutes from past meetings, and discussed 2026 meeting dates and a pending Simmons Hill LLC matter pending engineering plans. The meeting adjourned at 7:16 p.m.

What happens next: The applicant must pursue ANR approval from the Town of Lakeville Planning Board; the Zoning Board's approval is conditional on that administrative step and any standard permit conditions the board will require once the ANR is finalized.