The Cohasset Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) convened for its first meeting of 2026 on Monday, Jan. 5, addressing a dense agenda that included a controversial dock approval, two new applications, and a lengthy debate over the town's sign bylaw. Acting Chair Matt Watkins led the hybrid meeting from Wilcutt Commons, where the board gave final approval to two longstanding applications and continued two new cases for further review.

The board closed its protracted hearing for a dock at 45 Joy Place, ultimately voting to approve the project. The decision followed a final presentation from the applicant's attorney, Jeff Delissi, who provided legal research supporting the use of the "colonial method" to determine property lines to the low water mark. "The case law talks about how you're to find definite monuments... and then go perpendicular from there in order to ensure proportionality," Delissi explained. While the evidence was found sufficient, some members remained uneasy about the precedent. "I am troubled because we have had hundreds of dock applications and I don't recall any professional engineer who stamped a plan that showed the property lines... at a right angle," noted board member David Morris. However, board member Woody Chik pointed out that no valid counter-argument was presented. "I haven't seen... anything that would say the colonial method is invalid or erroneous," Chik stated. A motion by Chik to approve the application for 45 Joy Place passed unanimously, 5-0. In another continued matter, a motion to grant a special permit for 141 South Main Street also passed unanimously, 5-0.

Two new hearings were introduced and continued to the board’s February meeting. Andrew Wise, owner of 84 Gammons Road, presented an application for a special permit to construct retaining walls in a floodplain, a project already approved by the Conservation Commission. "We believe that we're enhancing the property and the floodplain and the salt marsh by addressing an erosion problem," Wise said. Board member Leah Fernandez called the application a "very thorough and well-done presentation." A more complex case involved 469 Jerusalem Road, where attorney Richard Henry sought a determination that two structures on one property could be recognized as two separate residential lots. The issue hinges on whether a second home, listed in some town records as a "guesthouse," qualifies as a pre-existing dwelling under zoning bylaws. Henry argued its long rental history proved its status as a separate home, stating, "There's ample evidence from the record that both properties were dwellings from 1955 to the present." The board advised the applicant to first seek a formal decision from the town's Building Inspector, which could then be appealed to the ZBA if necessary. A motion by David Morris to continue the hearing passed unanimously, 5-0.

The meeting concluded with an extensive discussion on the town's sign bylaw, prompted by concerns over new signage and visual clutter along Route 3A. Board member Woody Chik initiated the debate, expressing frustration with the bylaw's ambiguity. "I just think our bylaws are not ideal and I think our application of them is not ideal either because signs keep going up," Chik said. The conversation highlighted differing interpretations of frontage rules and signage rights for multiple businesses on commonly owned lots. Board member Lee Darst cautioned the board to be mindful of potential repercussions of strict enforcement, stating, "We don't want any unintended consequences." The town's Building Inspector agreed to measure several existing pylon signs on Route 3A to provide the board with concrete data for its next meeting. Before adjourning, a motion by Matt Watkins to move the May meeting to May 11 passed unanimously, 5-0.