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Prospective buyer cleared to seek special permit for 11 Summer Street after Select Board waives denial
Summary
The Bellingham Select Board voted to waive a denial tied to back taxes so prospective buyer Owen Haron can apply to the zoning board for a special permit to operate a small engineering and testing shop at 11 Summer Street.
The Bellingham Select Board on June 1 voted to waive a denial under state law so a prospective buyer can pursue a zoning special permit for 11 Summer Street.
Owen Haron, the prospective buyer, told the board he plans a small engineering and test facility under the name Acceleration Engineering and said the operation would likely employ “a maximum of five, maybe seven people” and focus on prototype manufacture and testing. “What acceleration engineering is going to do is take all of that and bring it into one location,” Haron said, describing the firm’s work for defense and aerospace clients and a planned shock‑test machine that would be built in about 18 months.
Town counsel and staff told the board the applicant met the statutory standard in GL ch. 40 §57 because the proposed buyer did not have a direct or indirect business interest with the current owner that would disqualify the waiver. The board voted to waive the denial so Haron may file the special‑permit application with the zoning board; staff will send a memo to coordinate the next ZBA/public hearing and advise on the process.
Haron said the building will be rehabilitated and described it as a previously industrial/machine‑shop property. “It was built as a machine shop in the 1950s,” he said, adding he expected to undertake interior modifications and to “bring what is hopefully going to be a rather cool and rather unique business to Bellingham.”
The waiver allows the applicant to proceed to the zoning process; it does not grant any zoning relief. The board recorded the motion to waive the denial, seconded, and approved the waiver in open session. Staff said the next procedural step is coordinating a public zoning hearing and filing requirements with town staff.
Provenance: The board introduced the request and discussed the GL ch. 40 §57 standard (SEG 377–SEG 406); Haron gave an extended presentation about his company, capacity and plans (SEG 471–SEG 619); the board moved to waive the denial and approved the motion, and staff agreed to send a memo and coordinate the zoning hearing (SEG 628–SEG 653).
What happens next: Haron will file with the zoning board and appear at the public hearing arranged by town staff; any permit or conditions will be determined by the zoning board and are separate from the Select Board’s procedural waiver.
