Zoning Board Grants Pet Resort Kennel Variance

Zoning Board · Meeting of September 22, 2026

Northborough's Zoning Board of Appeals granted a kennel-use variance for 145 Otis Street. The vote let Dottie Jean's Pet Resort and Daycare Center, owned by Nancy Bradley, relocate from Shrewsbury after her building sold for just under $1 million. Attorney Marshall said a July change to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40A, replacing a soil-and-topography hardship test with a "practical difficulty" standard, made the move possible.

The board attached two conditions: overnight staff supervision and seven-foot lit fencing around outdoor play areas, rejecting a resident's proposed 6 p.m. outdoor curfew as unenforceable. Planning Board member Amy Peretzky, speaking as a resident, had raised concerns about barking reaching homes behind the property. The board also elected Paul chair and Brad vice chair for the coming year.

In the full story:

• A Vacant Building and a Vanishing Use
• The New Variance Standard
• The Applicant's Operation
• Public Comment
• Debating Conditions
• Procedural Steps and Outcome
• Implications and What Is Next
• Board Business: Minutes, Reorganization and a Member's Status
• Looking Ahead: Planning Board Coordination and Fall Events
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,319 words

Source: the Zoning Board meeting of September 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.