HomeMy WebLinkAbout5216 452 Route 28 Decision TC 03.13.26YARROUTH TOWN CLERK RE
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FILED WITH TOWN CLERK:
PETITION NO:
HEARING DATE:
PETITIONER:
PROPERTY OWNER:
PROPERTY:
TOWN OF YARMOUTH
BOARD OF APPEALS
DECISION
March 13, 2026
5216
February 26, 2026
Sandbar Management, Inc.
Amplify Holdings, LLC
452 Route 28, West Yarmouth, MA
Map 31, Parcel 73
Zoning District: B2 & HMOD1
Title: Book 35804, Page 160
MEMBERS PRESENT AND VOTING: Chairman Sean Igoe, Richard Neitz, Anthony
Panebianco, and Timothy Scanlan
Notice of the hearing has been given by sending notice thereof to the Petitioner and all those
owners of property as required by law, and to the public by posting notice of the hearing and
publishing in The Cape Cod Times, the hearing opened and held on the date as stated above.
The Petitioner is Sandbar Management, Inc. The Property is the site of the Town `N Country
Family Resort Motel. The Property is located in the B-2 Zoning District and the HMOD 1 Zoning
District and contains four motel buildings and a total of 143 guest rooms. The Petitioner seeks
permission to use all four buildings as seasonal employee housing. This is equivalent to 100°}0 of
the total number of guest rooms on the Property. Similar relief has been granted annually for the
past several years.
The Petitioner was represented by Attorney Andrew Singer and Mr. Patrick Malone, a
representative of the Petitioner. There were no public comments.
The proposal requires a Special Permit in accordance with Section 404.5.2 of the Yarmouth
Zoning Bylaw because one of the ten conditions for such housing by right set forth in Section
404.5.3 cannot be met. Specifically, while employee housing of fifteen percent (15%) of the total
number of rooms is allowed by right, the proposal requests one hundred percent (100%) of the
rooms.
The Board of Appeals is appointed in the Zoning Bylaw as the permit granting authority for such
authorized Special Permits. In accordance with Section 103.2.2 of the Zoning Bylaw, the Board
is authorized to grant this Special Permit upon a demonstration that the proposal will not create
undue nuisance, hazard or congestion and that there will be no substantial harm to the established
or future character of the neighborhood or Town.
This is a renewal application for a new Special Permit. As in prior years, the Board granted a
Special Permit in Petition #5161 for seasonal employee housing at the Property for the 2025
season, authorizing 100% of the rooms to be so used. This Special Permit was granted with a
condition that if the Applicant returns for renewal of the Special Permit, it is to provide a list of
any complaints or incidents from the Police or Fire Departments during the 2025 season so that
the Board and Applicant can review and discuss past and future measures to ensure continued,
successful seasonal employee occupancy at the Property in the face of the strong demand for
such temporary housing.
The seasonal employee housing will service several area businesses as in prior seasons, including
Wicked Waves Waterpark (the Applicant's nearby business). Employees of the Waterpark and
another nearby business will walk to work. Depending on the employer, employees of other
businesses will be shuttled to and from work in vans or travel by private motor vehicle, bicycle
or public transportation. There will be little vehicular trip generation nor negative impact to
traffic safety on Route 28 as a result of the proposal. In the 2024 season, the Applicant installed a
centralized, commercial bicycle -rack system for all employees' bicycles.
Also in the 2024 season, the Applicant installed a security station at the Route 28 entrance. This
station is manned by a security detail from 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. nightly to restrict unwanted
access and is located approximately at the back of the front portion of the building so that the
existing front parking spaces remain open for temporary usage. There is also a gate installed at
the rear of the Property from Abell's Road which remains closed and is used as an emergency
egress. Knox boxes are provided as necessary for Police and Fire Department emergency access.
All applicable Board of Health and Commonwealth of Massachusetts regulations governing such
housing shall continue to be met. Maximum occupancy per room shall continue to meet health
codes. The Applicant has a solid track record of working with the Yarmouth Health Department
in licensing the Property for such employee housing use.
The seasonal employee housing will be no more than seven months per year between April I`
and October 31 ". Each room is provided with a refrigerator, pillows, sheets, and blankets. There
are kitchens and laundry facilities on the Property to be used by the seasonal employee
occupants. Trash at the Property is collected and disposed of every day during the morning hours
by the maintenance staff, and the Applicant further provides daily kitchen cleaning and daily
package/mail delivery.
There is an onsite, live-in property manager as well as a full-time maintenance person and 24;'7
security and cameras. The on -site manager ensures that all seasonal employees are apprised of
the rules and code of behavior prior to and during occupancy.
Each employee is required to sign a Code of Conduct, providing that:
1. Enforced quiet hours, including no outside parties and noise, are from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00
a.m. daily;
2. Alleged noise nuisances and disturbances should be first reported to the onsite manager
andior security for resolution;
3. There will be weekly room inspections;
4. Smoking is prohibited in the buildings and is allowed in designated smoking areas only;
5. Overnight guests are prohibited;
6. No personal items are to be left outside (in parking lot, over railings, on stairs, etc.);
7. All bicycles must be placed in designated bike racks and locked;
S. All cars must have a permit, be locked, and parked in designated spaces; and
9. For a first violation of the Code, there will be a warning. A fine will be assessed if there
is a second violation. If there is a third violation, the employee will be removed from the
Property.
The Applicant ensures that all seasonal employees temporarily housed at the site demonstrate
maintenance of a principal place of residence elsewhere. The Applicant keeps records of all
employees utilizing such housing, including name, permanent address, and length of stay. The
Applicant's amenities, conditions, and rules and regulations are designed to ensure a good
environment for the Property and the neighborhood.
As shown on the submitted 2025 Police Department log reports and as discussed with the Board,
most of the incident reports were either routine service calls or for noise complaints. The
Applicant addressed the noise complaints and how they are responded to and handled.
There will be no negative impact to drainage, septic flow or stormwater. The proposal will have
no greater impacts to the neighborhood or Town than the existing motel use of the overall
Property. The proposal will be in keeping with and compatible with the character of the
neighborhood and will not cause or contribute to any undue nuisance, hazard or congestion in the
neighborhood, zoning district or Town. There will be no building or parking changes, and the
existing screening of the buildings will minimize visibility of the seasonal employee housing.
Based on the above, testimony received at the public hearing, and questions and answers with the
Board, the Board found that the proposal will not create any undue nuisance, hazard or
congestion, that there will be no substantial harm to the existing or future character of the
neighborhood or Town, and to the contrary, there is a significant benefit in providing an urgent,
unmet housing need for local Yarmouth businesses.
Thereafter, a motion was made by Mr. Panebianco, seconded by Mr. Neitz, and voted 4-0 in
favor, to grant a Special Permit in accordance with Sections 103.3.2 and 404.5.2 of the Yarmouth
Zoning Bylaw and M.G.L. Chapter 40A, Section 6, to authorize 100% of the motel rooms (143)
at the Property to be used for seasonal employee housing for the 2026 season as shown on the
submitted plans and on the following conditions:
I . The Special Permit is granted for one year and is based on the Applicant's Code of
Conduct;
2. Employee shuttle vans shall load and unload from on the Property and not Route 28; and
3. When the Applicant comes back for renewal of the Special Permit, it shall provide a list
of any complaints or incidents from the Police or Fire Departments during the year.
No permit shall issue until 20 days from the filing of this decision with the Town Clerk. This
decision must be recorded at the Registry of Deeds and a copy forwarded to the Board of
Appeals. Appeals from this decision shall be made pursuant to MGL c40A section 17 and must be
filed within 20 days after filing of this noticer'decision with the Town Clerk. Unless otherwise
provided herein, the Special Permit shall lapse if a substantial use thereof has not begun within 24
months. (See bylaw, MGL c40A §9)
Sean Igoe, Chairman
CERTIFICATION OF TOWN CLERK
I, Mary A. Maslowski, Town Clerk, Town of Yarmouth, do hereby certify that 20 days have
elapsed since the filing with me of the above Board of Appeals Decision ##5216 that no notice of
appeal of said decision has been filed with me, or, if such appeal has been filed it has been
dismissed or denied. All appeals have been exhausted.
Mary A. Maslowski, MMC, CMMC
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