South Yarmouth board approves special permit to park 24-foot boat in front yard

The South Yarmouth Board of Appeals voted unanimously on July 9 to grant a special permit allowing a resident at 354 Forest Road to park a 24-foot boat in front of the property.

Chair Sean Igoe introduced petition 5241, saying the property is in an R-40 zoning district and that the applicant sought a waiver from the requirement for a certified site/plot plan less than two years old. The applicant told the board he could not move the boat to the rear or side of the house because “I have a septic system in the front yard,” and dense border trees, low utility lines and a sloping rear gully make rear access infeasible.

The board discussed site constraints and safety. Board member Tim moved to approve the special permit with conditions; the chair described five terms that the board will apply as a template for similar requests: the special permit is restricted to one boat with a maximum length of 28 feet; the boat must be on a lawfully registered trailer owned by the current property owner or current resident; the boat must be located on the driveway and parked without creating traffic or fire-safety hazards; and the special permit expires upon transfer of the property. Anthony seconded the motion.

After brief discussion, the board voted 5-0 in favor. Chair Sean Igoe said, “I think you meet the criteria,” and the board directed staff to prepare the written decision and file it with the town clerk. The chair explained a 20-day technical appeal period applies; staff (Dolores) will contact the applicant when the permit is ready, and the applicant must record the permit at the registry of deeds and provide a copy for the board’s file.

Board members and staff said they had received no correspondence or online comments from neighbors about the petition. During the exchange the applicant noted the boat’s working dimensions — “It’s 24 feet” with a roughly 9-foot trailer width and about 10 feet of clearance at the garage side — and said clearing trees would likely put him on a neighbor’s land.

The board also approved minutes from its June 25 meeting earlier on the agenda. A motion to adjourn was made and seconded near the end of the recorded transcript; the recording stopped before the final roll call on adjournment was captured.

The decision on petition 5241 is subject to the standard 20-day appeal window; after that period staff will notify the applicant and the permit must be recorded at the registry of deeds.