Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals — June 11, 2026

The Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals met on June 11, 2026, to address several administrative items, reports, and three public hearing petitions. Administratively, the board approved business meeting minutes from May 14th and hearing minutes for petition 1235. During board reports, members discussed concerns raised by retired board member Richard Cutler regarding potential non-compliant signage at a self-storage facility (Extra Space Storage) off Route 58/I-495 and agreed to invite the owners to a future meeting for an update. The board also noted that Doug had been confirmed as a regular member and that the Select Board would consider candidates for the open associate seat on June 22nd.

In public hearings, the board continued hearing petition 1235 for Joe Motto of JF Craftsmanship on behalf of property owner Ashley Oldenburg at 100 Ryder Road. The applicant sought variances to construct a detached garage/accessory dwelling unit (ADU) exceeding 1,000 square feet and to reduce the 40-foot side setback to 20 feet. After consulting briefly with town counsel regarding pre-existing non-conforming structures on the lot, the board approved the variance 5-0 with conditions requiring the removal or relocation of a shed on the leaching field, no commercial use, no housing of animals, and removal of a temporary freight container within 60 days of project completion.

The board then approved two additional petitions. For petition 1236, Jorge Rodriguez sought to make permanent a special permit for an at-home personal training business at 12 Mayflower Lane; with board member Doug Sims recusing himself as an abutter, the remaining four members voted 4-0 to approve a new special permit expanding hours of operation to 7:00 AM–7:00 PM Monday through Saturday, allowing class sizes up to eight, and restricting parking to the driveway with no more than two assistants on site. Lastly, for petition 1237, Stephen Cobb appeared remotely from Portugal seeking a side setback reduction from 40 feet to 30 feet to construct a 20-by-20-foot shed at 324 High Street. Citing yard safety and clear sightlines for monitoring grandchildren as a unique hardship, the board unanimously approved the variance 5-0 with conditions prohibiting commercial use, human habitation, and animal housing.

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