Weymouth Zoning Board Continues Green Street Appeal to October 27

WEYMOUTH -- October 6, 2021, Weymouth's Board of Zoning Appeals continued a contentious Green Street zoning appeal and two other cases to its October 27 meeting after more than an hour of competing legal arguments. Attorney Kevin Mackin, representing abutters Gerald and Kimberly O'Brien, argued that the pre-existing nonconforming contractor use at 450 Green Street was legally abandoned no later than 2004, leaving owner Paul Zona's auto detailing shop, embroidery operation, motorsports storage, and second-floor residence all unpermitted under R1 zoning. Building Inspector Jeff Richards defended his August 2021 determination that the site's "service enterprise" designation dating to 1947 has never lapsed, telling the board the current uses "all are allowed in a service enterprise use." Attorney Gregory Galvin, representing Zona, said the nonconforming status never was extinguished and that Zona's residency is a by-right single-family use. Several neighbors disputed that anyone had ever lived in the building before Zona added a second floor, and one described the property as a safety hazard due to stored racing fuel and large commercial vehicles. The board, chaired by Richard McLeod, voted unanimously to continue the hearing after a board member noted that Mackin's memorandum of law, submitted the night of the hearing, contained significantly more material than the original application packet.