The Manchester Zoning Board of Adjustment on Oct. 9 granted variances for a series of residential and commercial projects, denied a request to keep domestic chickens on a small city lot and tabled a proposal for an illuminated sign at a neighborhood storefront, the board said at the hearing in City Hall chambers.

The board approved variances that will allow projects ranging from modest deck and shed installations to a three-family infill on Spruce Street and a McDonald’s redevelopment that reduces paved area and adds stormwater infiltration, board members said. At the same meeting the board refused a variance to allow six backyard hens on a 5,000-square-foot lot and asked the applicant for Golden Nails and Spa to return with a non-illuminated sign option, tabling that application until Nov. 13.

The meeting matters because the decisions affect neighborhood character, parking and small-business visibility across Manchester — from street-front signage to accessory structures, driveways and multifamily conversions that add rental units.

Joe Wickert, the surveyor representing Tyler and Stephanie Costa, said the three-family proposal for 474 Spruce Street will “fit in with the neighbourhood well” by matching the footprint of a prior building while adding off-street parking. The ZBA granted multiple variances for that project, with the condition that only the four westerly parking spaces be paved and the fifth remain pervious.

Homeowners who sought relief for fences, sheds, propane tanks, attached garages, accessory dwelling units and rear porches also largely received approvals. Applicants said many of the structures were preexisting or intended to restore a previously built condition after fires or demolition. For example, Corey Wright, owner at 189 Ray Street, told the board, “I’m hoping to make that right with the city and get the necessary paperwork,” and the board granted variances to legalize an existing small addition and deck.

Not all requests succeeded. The board denied a request from the owners of 110 Flint Street to keep domestic chickens on a lot that does not meet the ordinance’s acreage threshold. The board split the Flint Street request: it granted a variance to keep an existing shed (noted as a preexisting accessory structure) but denied the chickens variance, citing the lot-size requirements and the zoning ordinance’s intent to limit backyard poultry on small urban lots. The board directed the owners to remedy the code violation within 30 days.

The board also took up a sign request at 1671 Brown Avenue for Golden Nails and Spa. The applicant proposed an internally illuminated channel-letter sign larger than allowed in a largely residential area. Board members said they were receptive to preserving visibility for the business but were not inclined to approve an illuminated sign at that location; the board voted to table the application so the applicant can return with a non‑illuminated or relocated design. The chair announced the next hearing date for that case: Nov. 13, 2025, at 6 p.m.

On a commercial matter, attorneys for McDonald’s presented plans to demolish and replace the restaurant at 907 Second Street with a smaller building, more modern drive-through circulation and reduced paved area. The board approved variances allowing certain drive-through elements and parking to extend into a small portion of the adjacent residential zoning district, noting that the project reduces impervious area and that the site is surrounded by other commercial uses.

Other notable approvals included: a 28-by-36-foot accessory garage at 1204 Dunbarton Road, an attached garage/ADU at 108 South Taylor Street (adjusted per a recent survey), an in‑kind rebuild of a two‑family converted to a three‑family dwelling at 747 Beach Street, and multiple small setback or lot-area variances to allow decks, porches and fences to remain or be rebuilt.

Votes at a glance:
ZBA2025-121 — 350 Lucas Road: Variance granted to allow an 8‑foot fence where 6 feet are allowed and limited encroachment into the front yard; motion passed unanimously. (topicintro: first announcement of case; topfinish: “Motion passed unanimously.”)
ZBA2025-123 — 189 Ray Street: Variances granted to legalize a small addition and deck that encroach into side- and rear-yard setbacks; motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-125 — 474 Spruce Street (Costa): Multiple variances for a three-family infill (lot area, frontage, setbacks, stories, floor‑area ratio, landscaping and parking layout). Board approved variances with the condition that only four westerly parking spaces be paved and the fifth remain pervious; motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-128 — 41 Kearney Street: Variance granted to install a propane tank with reduced side-yard setback; motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-129 — 1204 Dunbarton Road: Variance granted to build a larger accessory garage (exceeding allowed square footage and height); motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-130 — 1420 River Road: Variances granted for a small shed on a corner lot with reduced front and side setbacks; motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-131 — 274 Ash Street: Variance granted to allow a rear addition for an accessory dwelling unit at reduced side-yard setback to accommodate an in‑law unit; motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-132 — 108 South Taylor Street: Minor additional relief granted after a new survey showed the previously approved side-yard setback would be slightly reduced; motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-133 — 533 Heavey Street: Variances granted to convert a 1‑story commercial building footprint to a two‑story residential use, with relief for lot coverage and parking setbacks/maneuvering; motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-134 — 516 Granite Street: Variances granted for front and side yard porch/deck encroachments with conditions (front porch to remain a deck without a roof; rear porch to be cut back to align with house and remain unenclosed); motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-135 — 1671 Brown Avenue (Golden Nails & Spa): Request for a 31.25‑sq. ft. internally illuminated wall sign in a residential area — board tabled the application and invited the applicant to return with a non‑illuminated design; motion to table passed (board set Nov. 13, 2025, 6 p.m.).
ZBA2025-136 — 110 Flint Street: Split decision — variance granted to retain an existing pre‑dated shed (accessory structure), variance denied for keeping domestic chickens on the 5,000‑sq. ft. lot (denial based on lot‑size requirements and ordinance intent); shed variance granted, chickens variance denied (denial motion passed).
ZBA2025-137 — 907 Second Street (McDonald’s): Variances granted to allow the redeveloped restaurant and drive‑through elements to extend into a limited buffer adjacent to a residential district; motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-138 — 430 Manchester Street: Variance granted to create two parking spaces close to a building/lot line on a narrow lot; motion passed unanimously.
ZBA2025-139 — Tax Map 106 Lot 43A / 300 Harrison Street: Variance granted to allow development of a single‑family house on Lot 43A (the applicant supplied a quiet‑title decree to cure a small frontage strip); motion passed unanimously (board discussion included instruction to coordinate consolidation paperwork with staff).
ZBA2025-142 — 747 Beach Street: Variances granted to legalize conversion of a two‑family to a three‑family dwelling (lot area, frontage/width, side setback and floor‑area‑ratio); motion passed unanimously.

Decisions, directions and next steps
- Tabled sign case (1671 Brown Ave): applicant to return Nov. 13 with a non‑illuminated or relocated design; the board indicated it is generally unwilling to approve internal illumination for that storefront in a residential zone.
- Rehearing request denied: the board declined a rehearing request for a previously decided front‑ramp variance (22 Hazel St.), finding notice and procedure met statutory requirements.
- Compliance deadlines: where the board denied relief (notably the chickens case), staff indicated violations should be remedied; the board set a 30‑day cure period for the denied chickens request.

What to watch next
- The Golden Nails & Spa sign case returns Nov. 13, 2025, at 6 p.m. in chambers.
- Several approved projects will move next to building permit and planning‑board/site‑plan steps; the McDonald’s redevelopment will require site‑plan review if the applicant proceeds.

Sources: public hearing transcript, statements on the record from applicants and board members.

Ending: The board’s calendar showed roughly 16 contested zoning cases on Oct. 9; most requests for relief were granted with conditions aimed at limiting larger nonconformities and addressing neighborhood impacts. Applicants were directed to coordinate required permits with planning, building and public‑works staff before construction.