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13:43
(Episode Description is AI generated and may be errors in accuracy)
A town’s “look and feel” often turns on decisions that sound small until you’re the one living next to them. We open the Raynham Zoning Board of Appeals meeting and move through two fast, very real public hearings that show how special permits actually get decided: sworn testimony, specific questions, enforceable conditions, and a clean vote on the record.
First up is Petition 1070, a request to add a double-sided LED electronic sign panel beneath an existing sign for Brickstone Brew House and Tavern on Broadway in Raynham, Massachusetts. We dig into practical zoning details like how close the sign sits to the property line versus the travel lane, then get into what most neighbors care about most with digital signage: illumination, glare control, and preventing the corridor from turning into a “Vegas strip.” You’ll hear how tools like a photo cell and rules like a 10:00 p.m. message shutoff get used to balance business needs with roadway safety and nighttime comfort.
Then we shift to Petition 1071: a homeowner’s request for a private oversized garage at 55 Lakeview Drive for personal storage, including a motorhome. We talk through revised plans, why terraced retaining walls can become an engineering and cost problem, and how “metal building” doesn’t have to mean “industrial looking” when neighborhood aesthetics matter.
If you care about local zoning, public hearings, electronic sign rules, or how boards think about neighborhood character, you’ll get a lot out of this one. Subscribe, share this with a neighbor who follows town issues, and leave a review with your take: what conditions would you want on signs and oversized garages?
The proceedings are being uh transcribed and recorded to provide full and accurate minutes and allow full participation of the clerk. We're uh opening the meeting of the Rainham Zoning Board of Appeals at 7 o'clock on Wednesday, May 27th. Um to my right is Paul Boulay, to my left, Rob Costler, and I'm Peter Schondick, the chair.
Uh would the clerk please read the first petition?
SPEAKER_03
The Rainham Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 27th, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Rainham Veterans Memorial Town Hall, 558 South Main Street to consider petition number 1070. Dean Sexonis, Taunton Mass, and Irene Saxonis, Berkeley Mass request for a special permit pursuant to Rainham Zoning By Laws, Section 350-6.6-signs. G, subsection one, movement to allow an electronic sign. Bricks down brickstone brew house and tavern at 1736 Broadway, Assessors Map 3, lot 64-0, Rainham Mass.
SPEAKER_02
Okay. Uh anyone providing testimony if you could stand and I can sway you in.
SPEAKER_04
Um Luca B Science.
SPEAKER_02
Well, I I'm gonna sway you in. Okay. I'll intend to give testimony if you stand. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you're about to give this board shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you guys. Okay.
Um my name is Shauna Bento, I'm from Luca B. Science, and I've been working on this project with Maureen for over a year. Uh so we finally here, um, we're just trying to um install an LED signage, which is 31 inches by 96 inches, double-sided under their existing sign that they already have, and I already got the permit for.
SPEAKER_02
And um I was looking how close to the road is it? Is it with it does it?
SPEAKER_04
So um it is um over ten feet from the road.
SPEAKER_03
Well, it's actually it's one foot from the road. One foot, right? One foot from the property line.
SPEAKER_04
I know that things change so much.
SPEAKER_03
Well, it's ten feet from the travel lane, but it's one foot from the property line. From property line.
SPEAKER_02
You have any questions, Paul?
SPEAKER_03
No, it's pretty kind of dry. I mean, we just look at the normal conditions on it, right?
No, I mean, the the existing sign was close to the road anyway. The biggest thing is just following the conditions that we set in place. For normal lighting. For the glare, like bumping road glare and things like that with the illumination.
SPEAKER_04
I pretty much I think it they all be just like barrels and boards. Yeah, same thing.
SPEAKER_02
Just whatever comes on the the conditions of uh when it can be on and sure.
SPEAKER_03
Yeah. So that it doesn't turn into the Vegas strip as we come down 138. Right. I mean, not that we anticipate that's a great threat, but yeah, that's how you turn into Vegas is by ignoring the threat to what happened.
SPEAKER_05
Yeah. Yeah, it's the same. It has a photo cell automatically give it at night time. And do you have a copy of the condition?
SPEAKER_04
Um I don't know if I have. I thought I'd use this. I don't know if I have that, Bob. Yeah, it's me. I don't know. Would you like one? Yeah, we got the sorry. No problem.
SPEAKER_02
So I mean they're all pretty pretty basic as far as how much text you can have when it can be on. Um now you you're are you open after 10 p.m.
SPEAKER_04
I believe they are open until 11, I would say. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01
Just like the only thing in the orders the the signage, the sign can be but the text has to be shut down at 10 o'clock.
SPEAKER_04
10 o'clock.
SPEAKER_01
Yes. Okay.
SPEAKER_04
10 to 6 to 10. I think they do the same thing at barrels and boards already. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05
It's the same order, yeah.
SPEAKER_04
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02
Okay. So these are the conditions for the um uh the text. Shock. Um and I believe everything else is fine as far as size and height.
SPEAKER_03
Especially it's not a new sign, correct. It's not a little new location, it's just an additional stretch to the okay.
SPEAKER_02
Um any questions from the anyone else in the audience? No. Oh, uh, could you state your name since you were given from Bob Messier from the manufacturer? Okay, all right, thank you. Okay. Um that's pretty
straightforward. Yeah. Okay, so I'm going to uh declare the uh hearing closed, and uh the board will now go into executive session. All may remain while the board deliberates, but none may speak. This one sounds about as right down the back as a um just when we approve it with the uh conditions, yeah.
unknown
So all uh any motion we need to go.
SPEAKER_01
No, I think we make the motion now. I'll make the motion to approve with uh second. All in favor? Aye.
SPEAKER_02
Aye. Okay, so thank you, gentlemen. Um I'll reopen the meeting at set-how six. Uh the uh it's been approved, and you have the conditions of the of the signage.
SPEAKER_04
Are we good? Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02
Oh, I can read this. Um anyone having objections to the decision may file appeals to this period court and file that appeal with the town clerk within 20 days of the filing of the board's decision with the town clerk.
The Rainham Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 27th, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Rainham Veterans Memorial Town Hall, 558 South Main Street, to consider petition numbers 1071, Timothy Holt and Kathleen Holt of Rainham Mass. Request for special permit pursuant to Rainham Zoning Bylaws, Section 350-7.4, subsection 30, specific use is authorized by special permit to allow a private oversized garage at 55 Lakeview Drive. This is map 8, lot 189-0, Rainham Mass.
SPEAKER_02
There were new plans. Um there were new plans, yeah. Just that basically there's no retail. It's definitely a better wall. Uh anyone that's gonna speak if you stand. Um I will intend to give testimony, Stan, and solemnly swear that the testimony you're about to give this board shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth shall help you that.
SPEAKER_00
Yes.
SPEAKER_02
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00
Uh state your name and your uh I'm Timothy Holtz of 55 Laker Drive. Just want to build a big garage on our property.
SPEAKER_02
Any questions on it?
SPEAKER_03
Uh no, I actually came, I had some questions that as on the prior plan, but you see, I mean the only thing I was concerned about was the terraced retaining wall. You know, poses a lot of challenges
when you're doing that and the you know and the cost. And it's particularly cost prohibitive, especially if you're doing it properly with as close as they were. Yep. Those then it becomes treated as one wall, you have to have it engineered, all that. So it's a good alternative.
SPEAKER_00
Very good alternative.
SPEAKER_01
I don't I mean, what are you gonna be putting in the garage?
SPEAKER_00
Excuse me.
SPEAKER_01
What are you using the garage for?
SPEAKER_00
Um storage of my motorhome and storage of our cars. Okay. You know, it's personal stuff.
SPEAKER_02
Yeah, okay. Um you're not gonna run a business out of it.
SPEAKER_00
No, sir. I'm too old for that.
SPEAKER_01
And then I I know we got another picture of a another garage, like metal building. Is that what you're doing?
SPEAKER_00
Yes. It's gonna be a metal building. Um the company we use it. It's gonna be similar to the that one there is in North Rainham. It's gonna be very similar to that with a bigger door and a regular size door.
SPEAKER_03
So it'll appear sided. I mean, because this looks almost sided, doesn't it?
No, it's it's it will appear sided, yeah, but it's all metal.
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, it's all metal. Okay. Yeah, my biggest thing is just with the neighborhood is the aesthetics of it. Yeah. You know, not to have, and this is gonna concern it, you know, I don't have a problem with the size of the drive to put motor on it. It's just the aesthetics. Um, so they're not looking like just a metal building in the back of, you know, I know you're tucked into a hill and you gotta name it behind you. Um, but just so it looks more residential versus just a that's why like that one picture there's it looks more residential.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah. That's why, that's why we went that way. We want it to look we want it to look proper in the neighborhood.
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03
Um so it's yeah, that I mean when I saw the picture, I was like, wait, I thought this was gonna be a metal building. Because this actually looks rather non-metal. Yeah, like that actually is a metal building.
SPEAKER_00
I've that one I've been in. Oh yeah, I'm not it's same, pretty much the same thing with Dolan. Same material, you know, same metal.
SPEAKER_02
Any uh any other questions or sorry?
SPEAKER_01
No, the biggest thing is that it's just just the aesthetics of it.
SPEAKER_02
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03
Any um did we get any any uh feedback from anybody?
SPEAKER_02
All right. Uh seeing is there no other no one else here? Um I'm gonna declare the meeting closed at 710. We'll go into an executive session. All may remain while the board deliberates, but none may speak.
SPEAKER_03
So I mean I think it would be a little bit more spacey if it looked like space for the other one.
unknown
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03
The old ones that we were.
SPEAKER_02
I mean, you know, yeah, I can just say the only thing you know, well, just plain old thing space. You can uh have it as the picture. Perfect. Yeah. So good luck with it. Oh,
before you go, let me read this back. Um decision has uh been made to approve this. Uh anyone having opposition or objections to the decision may file appeals to the Superior Court and file an appeal with the town clerk within 20 days for the filing of the board's decision with the town clerk. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Eric. You too. Good luck.
SPEAKER_03
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02
Um guys need to sign that. Do we have anything with those other things? And after you guys sign those, make a motion to adjourn.
SPEAKER_01
Second.
SPEAKER_02
All in favor? Aye. Aye. Meeting is adjourned at seven thirteen p.m.