Lexington Zoning Board Grants Garage Variance, Rejects Dunkin' Early Opening

Board of Appeals · Meeting of August 13, 2026

Lexington Board of Appeals grants contested garage variance, rejects Dunkin' 5 a.m. opening. The board voted unanimously to approve a variance at 89 Merriam Street allowing a detached garage to be built closer to the secondary street than zoning requires, but conditioned approval on the garage being placed no more than five feet from the house, with the owner free to seek a minor modification if subsurface ledge makes that distance impossible. Chair Ralph Clifford called the case "the first time we've used the new variance standards" and led the five-member board through a step-by-step review of the revised statutory factors.

At 323 Merritt Road, the board split its decision on a Dunkin'/Jimmy John's combo store petition: sign illumination was approved unanimously, but a request to open at 5 a.m. failed 1-4 after a nearby resident at 336 Mallard Road testified that existing pre-dawn truck traffic already disturbs neighbors and that no other business in the area opens before six. A third petition for a dental practice expansion at 20 Muzzy Street was approved 5-0 with conditions restricting parking to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and directing snow storage primarily to the rear of the lot.

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Source: the Board of Appeals meeting of August 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.