88 Providence Street (ZB-2026-081)
At a glance
- What: special permit (ZB-2026-081) for TN Properties to sell beer and wine in about 360 sq ft of a 1,400 sq ft neighborhood convenience store at 88 Providence Street (store use dates to 1911-1937).
- Where it stands: ZBA approved the special permit 4-0 on 2026-08-31 (per auto-captions).
- Next: the applicant still needs a license from the License Commission, which considers saturation and neighborhood service.
The proposal
- Petitioner: TN Properties, LLC. Two buildings on an RG-5 lot: the store (88A) and a three-family dwelling.
- The store has operated since at least 2001 under this operator (ZBA relief for a rear addition that year); the operators live in the three-family next door. Beer and wine only, in about 25% of the floor area; hours unchanged; no parking; trash kept indoors and picked up weekly.
- Conditions: beer and wine only (full liquor requires a new hearing); sales within license-commission hours (Mon-Sat 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.); earlier conditions (no rear deliveries or dumpsters, no AC units on the Patterson Street side) carried forward.
- Neighborhood: Vernon Hill area across from Worcester Academy near Dorchester Street; the city's long-range plan favors walkable corner stores.
Relief sought
- Special Permit: extend, alter or change a privileged pre-existing, nonconforming structure and/or use to allow a use of a similar nature (Art. XVI, Sec. 4.C).
Status and next steps
- ZBA special permit approved 4-0 on 2026-08-31.
- License Commission approval still required.
Discussion time
About 26 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-08-31 - Zoning Board of Appeals | 26 |
Log
- 2026-08-31 - Zoning Board of Appeals - Public hearing: attorney Donald O'Neil for TN Properties. One neighbor (92 Providence Street) opposed over parking and litter near the pizza shop next door; Eric Torkornoo and other board members supported it as a neighborhood amenity and called parking irrelevant. Closed and approved 4-0 with staff conditions (page four of the memo) and the requested waivers.