The Warren Zoning Board, at its Wednesday night, April 16 meeting, approved a special use permit which should soon likely allow a company engaged in boat repair and service to soon occupy the former East Bay Educational Collaborative building on Route 136.

Market Street Industrial LLC is the new owner of the 37,160 square foot structure on the some seven acre lot at 317 Market St. located in the town's Rural Business Zoning District.

The applicant planned to make no substantial changes to the existing structure, its footprint or the parking lot. Some site clearing work is already underway.

The application with the town zoning office was filed by one of the property owners, Zach Rivers, known to some in the nearby community as the former owner the Judge Roy Bean establishment in Bristol.

The property, the building upon which was constructed in 1960, was sold by the collaborative late last calendar year.

The Bristol Warren Regional School District was one of eight departments in the area that owned the property as part of a collective.

Needing a simple majority to approve the sale, Bristol Warren was the sixth of eight to back the transaction. The regional district school committee did so at its December 16, 2024 meeting.

At the time, the sale document listed the purchase price $3.2 million. When all parties were satisfied financially, each of the districts was expected to receive somewhere in the range of $200,000-$300,000.

According to the filings made before the zoning board last week, the future occupant of a part of the existing structure, the garage bays section at the northeast portion, will perform marine maintenance.  

Before being used by the collaborative, a busing company was headquartered in the building.

The boat business will also include an office and be used for light assembly and  seasonal storage. The storage will take place in the rear of the property. The operation is expected to include five-to-10 employees.

The board gave its approval while noting all requirements pertaining to the proper storage of hazardous materials and environmental hazard standards are met.

As well, any lighting repairs will be approved by building official so as to not cause any "trespass of lighting conditions."

In addition, the board added the caveat that no noise generated work be performed outside the building prior to 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

Rivers said the main section of the building will be leased separately at a later date.

Tourister Mill conversion
The owners of the Tourister Mill complex were granted by the board a special use permit allowing for the conversion of 2,500 square foot of commercial space into residential.

The planning board, at its March 2025 meeting, issued a waiver from the Waterfront Overlay District Development Plan for the project, which will see the space split into two, two-bedroom units and one with one bedroom.

The effort is similar to one approved by the respective town bodies and completed previously at the location in 2021.

Touisett Road remodel
The owners of a home at 2 Touisett Road received approval for a special use permit, allowing to construct a second floor to what is now a 1,200 square foot residence.

The board gave its support with the stipulations that a protective barrier be erected during construction for safety purposes and that it meets all town, Coastal Resource Management Council and other associated mandates.

Fam Lee Grill hours
The board approved an application from the owners of Fam Lee Grill, located at 644 Metacom Ave., seeking an extension of its hours of operations.

The request was to add both dinner and take-out services, while remaining open from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m., seven days a week. Previously the restaurant only offered breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and was closed on Mondays.

The board wondered if parking would be an issue considering the cigar bar located in the same mall with similar times of nighttime operations. The location also houses a dog grooming business and a hair salon. However, all spaces in the lot will be available to each of the businesses.

Sowams Cider Works changes
The board heard an application from the owners of 100 Child St., seeking a special use permit to allow for mixed-use occupancy in the village business zoning district.

Spencer Morris, owner/operator of the Sowams Cider Works there, sought the variance to construct three, three-level residential units in the rear of the structure, each composed of one bedroom and one-and-a-half baths.

The renovated building would also include the installation of a "garden roof," which would support both the cidery operation as well as the living space.

The board expressed concerns if the structure, which was once the site of a furniture store and the space to be converted currently used for light manufacturing, would allow for proper means of egress from the building as required. There were also parking related issues raised as well as if the proposal would meet legal standards and conform to other aesthetics of the district.

The board, while noting an abutter maintains a similar type use of their property, eventually approved the special use variance, pending future review of and the formal submission of the actual construction plan.