Zoning board denies variance request for oversized ADU at Highland Street

The Plymouth Zoning Board voted to deny a variance request from an applicant identified in the record as Bruce Wicket to allow an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) larger than the town's 1,000 square‑foot limit at 175 Highland Street.

The applicant said he planned to replace a failing garage with a larger garage to house family vehicles and to include living space upstairs (he estimated roughly 1,600 square feet of livable area) so he and his wife could be closer to an elderly parent. "I'm building a garage... I'm not building the garage for the ADU. I'm building the garage because we have 10 cars," the applicant said, arguing the upstairs space would allow family care without requiring subdivision or other alternatives.

Staff and board members discussed state ADU guidance (the transcript referenced HB577 and an at‑least‑950‑sq‑ft state standard) and the town's local ordinance, which sets a 1,000 square‑foot cap for ADUs. Board members noted that the planning board has used a different conditional‑use mechanism in other cases to allow additional dwelling space but that those approvals were not technically ADUs. Several members said the proposed use was sympathetic and practically reasonable but disagreed on whether the application met the legal test for "unnecessary hardship" and the other variance criteria.

After deliberation a motion to deny the variance was made and seconded. The board voted to deny the application; the transcript does not include a roll‑call listing of each member's vote in the excerpted text, so an explicit yes/no tally by member is not available in the recording provided.

Board members discussed that alternatives exist (for example, conforming design, planning‑board avenues) and emphasized that the zoning board's role is to apply the town ordinance as adopted by the voters. The applicant was advised of the right to submit a motion for rehearing within the statutory 30‑day window; the board scheduled a tentative special meeting (June 11) to consider any timely rehearing motions.