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Otis ZBA variance request for 633 Pine Road withdrawn after board advises redesign
Summary
An applicant seeking a 5-foot side-setback variance for a 26-by-30-foot garage at 633 Pine Road withdrew the request without prejudice May 4, 2026 after the Zoning Board of Appeals urged redesign to avoid a variance; the board unanimously accepted the withdrawal.
The Otis Zoning Board of Appeals on May 4, 2026 heard a request from trustee Wayne D. McMillon to build a detached garage at 633 Pine Road but the applicant withdrew the petition without prejudice after board members urged changes to avoid a 5-foot side-setback variance.
Don Chaffee of Chaffee Construction, representing the applicant, told the board the proposal called for a 26-foot by 30-foot garage with storage above and an 8-by-16-foot deck. "Meets all the prior setbacks with exception of one side, 5’ off the right side of the property," Chaffee said, and said relocating the building was constrained by a Perc‑Rite septic system installed about 2019–2020 and adjacent well locations.
The board pressed for alternatives. "You must prove hardship for soil conditions, shape or topography and this doesn’t meet any requirements for a variance," Member Terry Gould said, noting M.G.L. c.40A, s.10 requires a demonstrated hardship. Chair Travis Ward suggested modest engineering adjustments could avoid a variance: "It is a 5’ request so whether you take 2’ off the building and 3’ towards the leach fields some engineering could get them what they want without hurting anything."
Chaffee told the board he had discussed a nearby utility pole with Eversource and expected the pole to be moved forward approximately 10 feet, a factor he said influenced siting choices. Member Gordon Middleton raised a related safety concern about the separated distance from an existing propane tank; Chaffee said the garage footprint would be moved forward five feet in response.
Two immediate abutters, Brenda Pulaski and Keith and Linda Pulaski, told the board they had no objections to the project, and the board clerk read a letter from neighbors Eric and Dianne Remington saying they supported the variance. After discussion, the applicant withdrew the petition "without prejudice" to allow time to redesign the plan.
Member Jim Kauffman moved to close the public hearing, seconded by Member Terry Gould. Following the applicant's withdrawal, Member Terry Gould moved to accept the withdrawal; Member Gordon Middleton seconded and the board voted unanimously, 5–0–0, to accept the withdrawal. The board then approved minutes from Aug. 4, 2025 by unanimous vote, received a brief update from the building inspector about upcoming applications, set its next meeting for Monday, June 1, 2026, and adjourned at 7:21 p.m.
The applicant may return after revising the proposal; board members emphasized that meeting the 10-foot setback for accessory structures would eliminate the need for future zoning relief.
