ATHOL – The Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday held a hearing regarding property at 547 Cottage St. for Lisa Bennington who was seeking a Special Permit for Accessory Agriculture in a Residential A District.
Bennington, who has two pet goats that produce milk and cheese and manure used for garden fertilizer, was seeking a permit for two more goats. The property, which wraps around three backyards, is on 2.12 acres of land, with a half acre of tree line and is more than 13o feet from wetlands. The goats are kept in an 8×8-foot shed with a heat lamp until sunrise and are brought in at sunset. The 12×12-foot fenced in area is behind the tree line where there’s “no imposition,” Bennington said. There are plans to reduce the fenced in area and to add a pitched roof to the shed after consulting with the building inspector. For additional privacy, a 10-foot brush pile blocks the property for abutting neighbors.
Bennington said the goats are out of view and are tethered when outside. Board member Robert Mallet said the fenced in area should be labeled a “pen.”
The board, with one abstention, granted a Special Permit to allow a maximum of five goats at any given time, to keep a compost pile at minimum 40 feet away from the property line of the neighbors, and allows no exterior illuminations that would shine into the abutters’ property.
The Board has 14 days to file with the Town Clerk, followed by a 20-day waiting period after which the board will be notified of whether there are any appeals to the granted permit.