Board of Appeals Unanimously Approves Variance for 24-Unit Condo Project at 290 Main Street

STONEHAM — November 20, 2025 — Stoneham Board of Appeals votes 5-0 to allow a 24-unit condo conversion of the former Rounds Hardware building at 290 Main Street. The board granted a variance to Lily Oak Hill LLC of Wilmington, allowing the 1913 building's first floor to carry just 1,819 square feet of commercial space — 16.5 percent of the 11,043-square-foot floor — well below the 50-percent threshold required by Section 4.6.3.2 of the zoning bylaw. Attorney Charles Houghton argued that meeting the 50-percent threshold would require 16 dedicated commercial parking spaces the Residence B-zoned lot cannot legally provide. All 24 units will be two-bedroom, two-bath condominiums of roughly 1,190 square feet, with three deed-restricted affordable units priced at approximately $250,000 each. Board member Eric Rubin, who moved to approve, said the project "will not deviate from the intent of the bylaw and certainly is going to do the public good." The developer now faces Planning Board review, including a traffic study and an off-site mitigation contribution estimated at roughly $300,000, equal to 3 percent of the project's approximately $10 million cost.