Planning Board to Consider Alterations to Residential Business

The Westwood Planning Board will hold a public hearing tomorrow night to discuss the approval of certain renovations to a local residential business on High Street.

During the hearing, the Board will consider allowing Joseph and Marjorie Flangan, owners of Harlequin Nursery at 215 High St., to alter the existing driveway at the home, as well as to install a gravel parking lot, landscape display area, and a display sign for the business.

The Board will also review the plans and ensure the Flanagans have enough parking and space for people to get in and out of the business, according to Westwood Town Planner Nora Loughnane.

"They (Planning Board members) want to make sure there's sufficient parking to meet the needs so people don't need to park in the street," Loughnane said, "and to make sure the changes to the lot don't negatively affect the drainage of the property so that there's no drainage to the neighbors."

In addition, residential businesses are traditionally allowed to display a one-squre-foot business sign, she added. The Flanagans, however, wish to install a commercial sign of about three-by-five feet, which the Board also will look at.

The initial changes to the lot came to the Planning Board's attention in May, Loughnane said, after Joe Flanagan installed signs and began selling nursery-related items, which caused neighbors to be curious and complain that he might be operating an unautorhorized business.

But what Flanagan is doing is legal, Loughnane said, due to the fact that it's a residential agricultural business, and as such it is exempt from certain zoning laws.

"We just need to make sure it's safe for everyone and no other hardships to neighbors," Loughnane said.

Residential businesses of agricultural nature are exempt from zoning laws if they are under five acres in size, Loughnane said, and because that is the case for the Flanagans, the regular zoning requirements don't apply. As such, the couple does not need a building permit to make their requested renovations. The main concern is how safe the area will be for customers and neighbors.

"It's a little bit of a tricky situation, where the owner doesn't want any plans produced, but they need to make sure that the drainage is proper," Loughnane said.

What's more, a horse stable is located in the back of the home, where Marjorie Flanagan provides horse lessons. As such, the Board wants to make sure there will be emergency access to the stable after renovations in the case of a safety incident.

Plans for the renovations and the area to be affected are available for public viewing and inspection between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Planning Board's office. They can also be found during regular business hours at the Town Clerk's office.

Residents interested in the matter are encouraged to attend the hearing and make their views known to the Planning Board.

The meeting will begin at 8 p.m. in the Champange Meeting Room at the Westwood Municipal Building, located at 50 Carby St.