Needham ZBA approves variance to allow self‑storage reuse at 105 Cabbage Street

The Needham Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to grant RJ Kelly Acquisition LLC a variance that allows reuse of the existing building at 105 Cabbage Street as a self‑storage facility.

Board members said legal memoranda and case law submitted by the applicant supported treating the building’s structural uniqueness as the hardship basis for a variance. "The Tucker case...is directly on point," counsel Mr. Dutta told the board during the continued hearing, arguing that the building’s historic structure and configuration make conforming uses impracticable.

Why it matters: The board emphasized a narrow application of the precedent so the decision does not create an opening for widespread variances tied only to owner choices. Peter, a board member, said the structure currently lacks parking and that demolition and rebuilding would be prohibitively expensive; he and other members concluded the facts supported a variance while urging that the ruling be narrowly construed.

The approval: The board moved to approve the variance under the zoning bylaw (recorded in the hearing as "40 a section 10") to permit the proposed self‑storage use, and amended the motion to tie approval to the submitted plans so that any exterior alterations beyond those plans would require return to the board. The motion passed with an "aye" vote from all members present.

What’s next: The variance runs with the land under the board’s standard practice; the applicant must return for any changes outside the approved plans. No additional conditions beyond plan conformance were specified at the hearing.