Listen to the full meeting
The Fall River Zoning Board of Appeals, chaired by Joseph Pereira, convened on August 20, 2026, to review a series of property development petitions. The board approved several projects, including two revised proposals on Durfee Street. The first, at 333 Durfee Street, was unanimously approved to convert an auto repair shop into four residential units, creating a nine-unit property, after the petitioner increased the proposed parking to 14 spaces. The second, at 637 Durfee Street, saw a proposal for a new apartment building reduced from 12 to 8 units, which eliminated the need for several waivers and earned unanimous approval for the remaining setback variance and parking special permits.
The board also unanimously granted variances for subdividing a lot with three multi-family dwellings at 424 3rd Street, converting an office building into a four-unit apartment at 550 Locust Street, and dividing a lot to build a new single-family home at 302 Orchard Street. A special permit was granted for an electronic sign at 483 Bedford Street. A petition for a new apartment unit with no off-street parking at 189 Durfee Street was tabled until the September 17th meeting, following public opposition and board concerns about access and parking. The board also granted a two-year extension for a previously approved project on Duval Street.
A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a discussion led by Director of Engineering and Planning Daniel Aguiar about recent amendments to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40A. The new law replaces the strict "hardship" standard for variances with a more lenient "practical difficulty" standard, a change intended to spur housing development across the Commonwealth, which will significantly impact the board’s ability to deny housing-related projects.
Topics discussed
- 0:12 · To adjourn the meeting. — passed
To adjourn the meeting. - 1:26 · To waive the reading of the minutes from the previous meeting and approve them. — approved
To waive the reading of the minutes from the previous meeting and approve them. - 4:07 · Petition for 333 Durfee Street
Discussion and approval of a revised plan to convert an auto repair facility into a 4-unit dwelling, adding to an existing 5-family home, with an increased parking plan of 14 spaces for the total 9 units. - 4:07 · To grant a variance for residential use at 333 Durfee Street. — passed
To grant a variance for residential use at 333 Durfee Street. - 4:09 · To grant a special permit for expansion, height increase, and parking reduction at 333 Durfee Street, conditioned on the resignation of the auto dealer’s license. — passed
To grant a special permit for expansion, height increase, and parking reduction at 333 Durfee Street, conditioned on the resignation of the auto dealer’s license. - 4:16 · Petition for 424 3rd Street
Discussion and approval of a variance to subdivide one lot with three existing multi-family buildings into three separate lots, which also added four off-street parking spaces. - 4:16 · To table the petition for 189 Durfee Street to the September 17, 2026 meeting and waive the tabling fee. — tabled
To table the petition for 189 Durfee Street to the September 17, 2026 meeting and waive the tabling fee. - 16:12 · To grant a variance for building setbacks at 637 Durfee Street. — passed
To grant a variance for building setbacks at 637 Durfee Street. - 16:14 · Petition for 637 Durfee Street
Discussion and approval of a revised plan to build an 8-unit apartment building, reduced from 12 units, requiring variances for setbacks and special permits for parking layout. - 30:26 · To grant a special permit for parking waivers (aisle width, setback, elimination of loading space) at 637 Durfee Street. — passed
To grant a special permit for parking waivers (aisle width, setback, elimination of loading space) at 637 Durfee Street. - 31:12 · To grant a variance to subdivide the property at 424 3rd Street into three lots, with conditions including no ADUs and fencing restrictions. — passed
To grant a variance to subdivide the property at 424 3rd Street into three lots, with conditions including no ADUs and fencing restrictions. - 41:49 · To grant a variance to waive minimum lot area and convert an office building to a 4-unit residential building at 550 Locust Street. — passed
To grant a variance to waive minimum lot area and convert an office building to a 4-unit residential building at 550 Locust Street. - 41:49 · To grant a special permit to allow required parking for 550 Locust Street to be located on a separate lot across the street. — passed
To grant a special permit to allow required parking for 550 Locust Street to be located on a separate lot across the street. - 41:59 · Petition for 550 Locust Street
Discussion and approval of a variance to convert an office building into a 4-unit apartment building and a special permit to use a commonly-owned parking lot across the street. - 50:12 · Petition for 302 Orchard Street
Discussion and approval of a variance to subdivide a lot to create a new buildable lot for a single-family home, with waivers for lot area, frontage, and coverage. - 50:14 · To grant a variance to divide the property at 302 Orchard Street into two lots, with the stipulation of no ADUs. — passed
To grant a variance to divide the property at 302 Orchard Street into two lots, with the stipulation of no ADUs. - 57:46 · To grant a special permit to install an electronic sign at 483 Bedford Street. — passed
To grant a special permit to install an electronic sign at 483 Bedford Street. - 57:52 · Petition for 483 Bedford Street
Discussion and approval of a special permit to install an electronic sign for Spindle City Auto Glass in a medical zoning district. - 1:02:48 · Petition for 189 Durfee Street
Discussion of a proposal to create a one-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a commercial building with no off-street parking, which was ultimately tabled due to concerns over access, parking, and property maintenance raised by the public and the board. - 1:24:49 · Petition for 577-609 Duval Street
Discussion and approval of a request to extend a previously granted variance and special permit for two years due to project delays caused by the MBTA. - 1:25:05 · To grant an extension for a previously approved variance and special permit for properties on Duval Street to October 16, 2028. — approved
To grant an extension for a previously approved variance and special permit for properties on Duval Street to October 16, 2028. - 1:29:26 · Discussion of MGL Chapter 40A Amendments
Director Daniel Aguiar explained the significant changes to state zoning law, particularly the new "practical difficulty" standard for variances, which is intended to increase housing production and will make it harder for municipalities to deny such projects.