Zoning Board of Appeals

The Zoning Board of Appeals met on Thursday, September 3, 2026 at the Town Hall, 290 Northline Drive, Melrose. Roll call at 7:00 p.m. Present: Ed McDonough, Rich Geddis, Lettie Saheim and Jay Shover. Absent: Nick Bayly. Clerk Elizabeth Hale and Town Attorney David Brennan were present. There were no public hearings.

The Foxvog interpretation, on the record

Because August’s meeting lacked a quorum, the board did not review the August 6 notes for approval. It did recognize that at that meeting Rich Geddis had moved, with Lettie Saheim seconding, to ratify and issue the interpretation that a dog grooming salon and doggie daycare is a personal service shop, a permitted use in a Hamlet district, allowing Megan Foxvog (Application #4-26) to operate at 100 Eastover Road in Speigletown. Ayes: Geddis, Saheim · Nays: None. Later in the meeting Jay Shover asked whether the Planning Board had put a time limit on the business; Attorney Brennan said the Planning Board considered that unnecessary, since it has the power to limit the operation’s duration at any time. (The Planning Board granted the permit on September 2.)

Minutes of July 2

Accepted as submitted. Motion: McDonough · Second: Saheim · Ayes: McDonough, Geddis, Saheim · Nays: None · Abstention: Shover.

Dolan: chickens and a rooster at 5 Bickford Lane (Application #5-26)

Matthew Dolan appeared on his application to keep chickens and a rooster at 5 Bickford Lane, a 0.27-acre lot. He has seven chickens and one rooster and would like to keep them. The coop sits 41 feet from one neighbor’s property (a neighbor he said had no objection), 66 feet from another, 68 feet from the neighbor to the rear and 27 feet from 7 Bickford Lane. He seeks an area variance of about 4.73 acres from the Zoning Code’s five-acre minimum for keeping chickens. The $150 fee was paid. A public hearing was set for October 1 at 7 p.m. Motion: McDonough · Second: Shover · Ayes: McDonough, Geddis, Saheim, Shover · Nays: None.

A couple who live near the Dolan property, off Northline Drive, appeared to say they object to the rooster crowing at various hours. One of them also raised drainage and road problems at their home; the Highway Superintendent had cleared the ditch of weeds after they called, and they feel more work is needed. Chairman McDonough suggested they contact Town Clerk Emily Calhoun for direction.

Whitney: garage addition at 853 Master Street (Application #6-26, Tax Map #14.-1-5.111)

Franklin Whitney applied for an area variance to add a 12-by-24-foot, 14-foot-high addition to his 24-by-28-foot garage in the Residential Agricultural district. The addition would leave a side yard of 3 feet 4 inches, requiring a variance of 10 feet 8 inches from the 15-foot setback. The $150 fee was paid. A public hearing was set for October 1. Motion: Shover · Second: Geddis · Ayes: McDonough, Geddis, Saheim, Shover · Nays: None.

Adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Motion: McDonough · Second: Saheim · Ayes: Geddis, Saheim · Nays: None.

The minutes are signed by the clerk and dated October 12, 2026, after the October 1 meeting, so the board has not yet voted to accept them; we will clear the draft flag when it does. The minutes once refer to the chickens applicant as “Mr. Bickford,” evidently a slip for Mr. Dolan. The neighbors who spoke are not named here. This summary is unofficial; the town’s PDF is the record.