Board of Appeals OKs $13M Main Street Housing Plan
Board of Appeals · Meeting of October 8, 2026
STONEHAM — The Stoneham Board of Appeals approved parking and zoning variances for nine projects, including a $13 million Main Street housing redevelopment. Chair Tobin Shulman and members Robert Saltzman, Raymond Michael Dufour, Eric Rubin and Kevin McLaughlin voted 5-0 to grant a parking variance for a new apartment building replacing three aging structures at 476, 478 and 480 Main Street, which the developer's representative said would triple tax revenue. Public commenter Bobby Cafazo argued "it is not Stonem's responsibility to make somebody's investment work at the detriment of Stonem itself" while opposing a separate eight-unit, zero-parking project at 17 Franklin Street, which the board approved anyway.
The board also cleared screening and sign variances for a proposed Taco Bell at 147 Main Street and approved a contested subdivision at 326 William Street after adding conditions requiring tree screening to protect abutters' privacy. Smaller setback variances for porches and additions at 3 Raymond Road and 3 Wilbur Street, a wall-sign variance for O'Reilly Auto Parts at 221 Main Street, and removal of a 2023 family-use restriction on a third unit at 559 Main Street were all approved unanimously.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,936 words
Source: the Board of Appeals meeting of October 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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