North Salem Zoning Board of Appeals Hearing - November 13, 2025

On November 13, 2025, at 7:00 PM, the Town of North Salem Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing via Zoom and in-person. The board accepted previous meeting minutes, set the next meeting date, and took action on three applications: a special permit amendment to legalize a groom's quarters, area variances for a new residence on an undersized lot, and a ten-year renewal of a special permit for a horse farm. Two other applications were postponed to the December 11, 2025 meeting.

Consent Calendar

• Acceptance of Minutes: The board voted unanimously to accept the meeting minutes from September 11, 2025. (The agenda also listed October 9, 2025 minutes for acceptance, but the transcript only records a motion and vote for the September minutes; no mention of October minutes was made during the meeting.)
• Next Meeting Date: The next regular meeting was set for December 11, 2025, with board consensus.

Discussion Items

• BA25-30 – Nicholas Sainz-Xatzis (8 Lost Pond Lane): The applicant, represented by Michael DeCorey, requested a special permit amendment to legalize a one-bedroom groom's quarters (apartment) on the second floor of an existing barn. The apartment exceeds the code's 500-square-foot limit by approximately 58 square feet. The board noted that the extra space cannot be feasibly removed, parking is adequate, and no public objections were raised. The board found the increase warranted under §250-72H and granted the amendment.
• BA25-31 – Jeffrey & Diana Hewlett (77 Cove Road): The applicants sought five area variances to demolish an existing residence and build a new three-bedroom house on a 0.342-acre lot in an R-1 district. The requested variances (with existing and proposed measurements) were:
  • Front yard: 10 ft (35 ft required; 32.8 ft existing; 25 ft proposed)
  • Combined side yards: 18 ft (20 ft/15 ft required; 17.5 ft/35.1 ft existing; 5 ft/22 ft proposed)
  • Building coverage: 7.7% (10% permitted; 8% existing; 17.7% proposed)
  • Development coverage: 18% (20% permitted; 23.6% existing; 38% proposed)
  • Floor area ratio: 0.12 (0.2 permitted; 0.08 existing; 0.32 proposed) The board noted the lot predates current zoning (hardship not self-created), the proposed house is consistent with neighborhood character, the co-op had approved the project with conditions on stormwater, and no alternative placement was feasible. The variances were granted unanimously.
• BA25-32 – Old Salem Farm & Acquisition Corporation (190 June Road): The applicant, Mr. Solaric, requested a ten-year renewal of Special Permit BA13-21 (as amended) for a commercial horse boarding operation/riding academy with up to 94 horses, three employee dwelling units (for up to 10 employees), up to 25 horse shows per year (17 indoor), and food/beverage service on the 69.7-acre property. No site improvements are proposed. The building inspector confirmed regular inspections have occurred without issues. The board found the operation consistent with neighborhood character and renewed the special permit for ten years with the same conditions as previous permits.

Key Outcomes

• BA25-30 Granted: Motion to grant the special permit amendment carried unanimously (voice vote).
• BA25-31 Granted: Motion to grant all five area variances carried unanimously (voice vote).
• BA25-32 Granted: Motion to renew the special permit for ten years (with same conditions) carried unanimously (voice vote).
• BA25-28 and BA25-29 Postponed: Both applications (Vail Trail LLC area variance for a greenhouse and Avalon Gardens LLC special permit renewal) were held over to the December 11, 2025 meeting.