ZBA Approves Fiske Group Home Zoning Relief

Zoning Board of Appeals · Meeting of July 28, 2026

Waltham's Zoning Board of Appeals approved consolidated zoning relief for a nine-resident Opportunities for Inclusion group home at 15 Fiske Avenue after a 15-minute recess produced a deal with opposing neighbors. Attorney Shawn Keefe represented the nonprofit; OFI President and CEO Roberto Moran also addressed concerns raised by Ward 7 Councilor Paul Katz and abutters Joshua and Anjali Greenson. The board voted 5-0 twice, adopting findings of fact and then both the building-inspector appeal decision and the Dover Amendment decision "in the alternative," with OFI committing to keep a privacy pergola and add plantings near 12 and 6 Fairmont Avenue.

Audience members split two in favor, three against. Separately, the board unanimously granted Scott and Mandy Johnstone a height and lot-coverage variance for a two-vehicle garage at 337 River Street, with attorney Bret Francis calling the 1942 structure "deteriorating" and needing replacement.

In the full story:

• Case 2026-19: Opportunities for Inclusion, 15 and 21 Fiske Avenue
• Case 2026-20: Johnstone garage variance, 337 River Street
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,244 words

Source: the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting of July 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.