Board presses hotel over contractor's yard

Planning Board · Meeting of October 13, 2026

DANVERS — The Danvers Planning Board continued a special permit hearing for a hotel contractor's storage yard after neighbors described years of tree removal and dumping. Chair Jean Hartnett and members Michael Decoulos, Jim Sears and Dave Rodriguez heard that Best Western Plus North Shore's landscaping contractor used 38 rear parking spaces for over a year without town approval. Dayton Street resident Charlene Potter said debris including tar, bricks and bark mulch was pushed over a hillside toward her home, and that she paid $800 to remove a tree herself.

Sears told the applicant, "you're coming in here asking for permission and forgiveness because your company has violated the zoning bylaw." Rodriguez said removal of dumped material was "an unacceptable existing condition" he would require before supporting a permit. The board voted unanimously to continue the hearing to November 10, 2026, while staff drafts conditions on vehicle size, hours and fencing.

In the full story:

• Special Permit Hearing: Contractor's Yard at 50 Dayton Street
• Zoning Amendments Preview: Signage, Lighting, ADUs, Short-Term Rentals and Dwelling Conversions
• Liberty Tree Mall: Roadway Repairs and Community Visioning Workshop
• Administrative Items
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,452 words

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

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.