Williamstown ZBA Continues Hearing on Proposed Sporting Goods Store

iBerkshires.com   reports  the Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday decided to continue until October an application for a special permit to operate a sporting goods store at 742 North Hoosac Road.

Billy Preite is seeking a special permit for a change to the nonconforming use of the one-time general store that has been largely abandoned for nearly a decade.

Preite's plan includes the sale of high-end, collectible firearms, an aspect that generated considerable concern from neighbors and others in town who argued that the store would be inconsistent with the residential neighborhood.

The retail property is grandfathered as a nonconforming use that predates the enactment of zoning in the 1950s. But the zoning board has authority to determine whether the proposed nonconforming use is "more substantially detrimental" to the neighborhood.

After a long and often heated meeting,the board decided to request more information from Preite before revisiting the question at its next scheduled meeting on Oct. 17.