Beverly Planning Board approves Hale Street building changes after unauthorized construction

BEVERLY — August 17, 2021 — Beverly Planning Board approves ten modifications to Hale Street building after developer made unauthorized construction changes. The board voted through twelve proposed changes to site plan review application 146-19 at Zero Everett Street and 718 Hale Street, with two withdrawn before votes were taken and the remaining ten approved in split votes ranging from 5-3 to unanimous, following developer Joe Scamerski's admission that field decisions — including a full-shed dormer substituted for an approved Nantucket-style dormer — were made without notifying the planning department. Design Review Board Chair Sandra Cook, in a letter read into the record, said she was "personally satisfied" with Scamerski's restoration effort but acknowledged the DRB had made a mistake in recommending a seven-foot stone wall extension. Board member Wayne Miller called the process "a degree of audacity" but said he had "no problem with any of these changes" in their current form. The board also unanimously approved a minor modification to special permit 168-18 at 232 Rantoul Street for NOMSG Properties LLC, a taproom operator seeking to convert three on-site parking spaces to street parking to accommodate permanent outdoor dining.