The Southborough Zoning Board of Appeals on March 19 voted to continue consideration of a special permit for 6 Lorenzo Drive to the board’s April 16 meeting after staff identified issues with abutter notices that could make any decision vulnerable to appeal.

The applicant, represented by Michael Bartolini of Bartolini Properties, is seeking relief under Southborough Zoning Bylaw Section 174-8.2 to add a two-bay, 24-by-28-foot accessory garage behind an existing house. Bartolini said the addition would give the owner, identified in the application as Bridal Griffin, a total of up to eight collector cars on the property if lifts are used; the garage also includes an approximately 672-square-foot bonus room intended as a nonresidential accessory space.

The board continued the hearing after several nearby homeowners told the panel they had not received mailed abutter notices and said the project would be out of scale for the street. Resident Jason Malinowski, who lives across the street, told the board he and his wife were “vehemently opposed” and said the scale of storage for cars — along with the bonus room and a bathroom — raised concerns about noise, traffic and possible future commercial activity.

Staff member Laura Davis told the board the notices had been mailed to the addresses on the abutter list the office provided, but that the list showed the developer or previous owner for some properties rather than the current homeowners. Davis said notices must be mailed at least 14 days before a continued hearing, and she said she would reissue notices after confirming the assessor’s records. “So I need to send notice at least 14 days prior,” Davis said.

Board members and staff described the issue as a legal risk: if the town issued a decision while abutter notice was demonstrably insufficient, the decision could be appealed and overturned on that procedural basis. Because of that risk, the board agreed to continue the hearing to give staff time to confirm abutter information and re-mail notices.

Why this matters: the question of whether abutters received proper notice affects the board’s ability to render a defensible decision. Neighbors emphasized that, even if construction was intended as private storage, a garage sized to hold multiple collector cars and containing a finished bonus room could change the character of a small residential cul-de-sac.

Petition details and next steps: Bartolini described the accessory structure as set to the rear of the building to reduce visual impact and said the project meets setbacks and height requirements. The applicant said the lot measures about 1.132 acres. The board set the continued hearing for April 16, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. and voted to continue by voice roll call (Paul, Mike, Doris, Jamie and Williams all voting Aye). Staff will reissue abutter notices and confirm the abutter list with the assessor’s office before the continued hearing.

Speakers at the March 19 hearing included applicant Michael Bartolini; builder/seller John Bartolini Jr.; property tenant/owner name listed in the application, Bridal Griffin; staff member Laura Davis; and residents Jason Malinowski and Sharon Kraytman, who spoke in opposition. Several board members participated in the discussion and voted to continue.