Wareham ZBA approves several permits, grants dog‑daycare use variance and continues two high‑profile cases

The Wareham Zoning Board of Appeals met April 22 at the Wareham Multi‑Service Center and voted on a string of residential and commercial requests while setting additional hearings for more complex, contested matters.

The board approved a temporary permit tied to Taton Federal Credit Union after the applicant said required site work — a dumpster enclosure and a revised front‑curb — had been completed. The motion to grant the permit was made by Richard Sample and carried unanimously.

The board also granted a special permit for a second‑story addition and front farmer’s porch at 2 Wayham Lakeshore Drive. Applicant Curtis Perry described removing the roof, framing a full second floor and adding a covered deck above an existing patio; zoning members found the project not detrimental to the neighborhood and approved the work to be built according to the stamped plans.

In a more consequential vote, the board granted a use variance for a combined coffee shop and dog‑daycare proposed at 127 Marian Road. Applicant Alex Labosier and counsel Dennis Conry explained the layout: a storefront coffee counter, a separate fenced run at the rear and a solid wall separating the retail and animal care areas. The board discussed staffing, cleaning regimes for the outdoor run and limits on capacity; the applicant proposed an initial operating model with about 20 dogs and at least two staff on site. The board approved the use variance for daytime daycare; the record indicates any overnight boarding would require separate licensing and likely a separate approval.

Perched Inc., which already operates a licensed commercial kennel on a larger parcel at Great Neck Road, received a variance to allow the existing kennel structure to remain closer to the street than the home to be constructed on the same property. Owners Bob Brady and Linda Burke told the board the kennel was built first under plans approved earlier and that conservation conditions had required subsequent re‑filing; the board granted the relief after finding the configuration met statutory standards for variance relief.

Several matters were continued. A disputed cluster subdivision (56 lots) — described by the applicant’s attorney and engineer as a situation in which older cluster bylaw language, subsequent changes to setback rules and lot shapes combine to create an impracticality for the proposed house placement — drew lengthy public comment and attorney argument. Neighbors and counsel for Eagle Hold urged the board to let town meeting or litigation decide the broader policy questions; the board agreed to continue that hearing to May 13 for more review.

The board also continued a remanded Route 25 solar project after several members flagged the published public notice as insufficiently specific (the published notice did not explicitly state “variance” or identify the solar project). The board asked the applicant to re‑advertise with the town planner and agreed to a May 13 continuation; staff indicated the board would waive advertising fees if the applicant refiled the notice correctly.

What’s next: the board set several continuations for May 13 to allow applicants to submit revised drawings or corrected notices and for members to review statutory standards and public submissions.

Votes at a glance: Taton Federal Credit Union — permit granted (motion by Richard Sample; unanimous). 2 Wayham Lakeshore Drive (Curtis Perry) — special permit to increase a nonconformity granted (unanimous). 127 Marian Road (Tony & Remy / Alex Labosier) — use variance for daytime dog‑daycare and coffee shop granted (unanimous). 58 Great Neck Road (Perched Inc.) — variance to allow pre‑existing kennel closer to road than planned house granted (unanimous). Hidden Trails cluster petition and Route 25 solar remand — continued to May 13.