Falmouth Zoning Board Approves Three Conditional Use Requests

The Falmouth Board of Zoning Appeals approved three conditional use applications at its September 22, 2026 meeting: a tear-down and rebuild of a single-family home on Burgess Street, an expansion of the Woodlands Club, and a detached accessory structure on Underwood Road. The board also approved minutes from three prior meetings and heard public comment on two of the applications.

Key points

• The board approved a conditional use request to tear down and rebuild a single-family dwelling at 19 Burgess Street (noticed in the agenda as 18 Burgess Street due to a town clerical error). The vote was unanimous among the four voting members present, with Kevin, an alternate, also voting to approve.
• The board approved a conditional use request under section 19-119 to expand the Woodlands Club at 10 Woodlands Drive, including a 32-by-48-foot golf cart barn and a 3,660-square-foot clubhouse addition. Two board members disclosed they are club members but said they had no vested interest in the outcome.
• The board approved a conditional use request under section 19-7 for a detached accessory structure at 1 Underwood Road, with the motion specifying it is a non-dwelling accessory structure. The applicant, Ted Heidrich, said the project was previously approved in 2023 but put on hold due to family circumstances.
• A neighbor, Odette Thurston, spoke in support of the Burgess Street project, saying the applicants had worked to minimize view impacts.
• Ellen Snyder, a neighbor of the Underwood Road property, raised concerns that the structure could become a bunkhouse and asked about tree cutting. The board noted it has no jurisdiction over tree removal and that a dwelling unit use would require a separate approval.
• The board approved minutes from its June 23, July 28, and August 25 meetings, with some members abstaining because they had not attended.

Next steps

• The Burgess Street applicant will work with the sewer department on a letter granting access and have it registered with the Registry of Deeds.
• The Woodlands Club application will go before the Planning Board for site plan review, where the applicant said right-of-way questions near the pumping station can be examined further.
• The next board meeting is scheduled for October 27, with a submission deadline of next Tuesday.

Read the full transcript