ZBA approves 75 Viking Road coverage permit, 5-0
Zoning Board · Meeting of September 16, 2026
Orleans zoning board approves a 7,334-square-foot Viking Road rebuild, rejects rental limits. The Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-0 Wednesday to grant Jay and Wendy Merchant a special permit to demolish their home at 75 Viking Road and build a new house and garage, pushing building coverage well past the town's 4,000-square-foot review threshold. Attorney Ben Zander argued the project was "not substantially more detrimental" given the 180,000-square-foot lot; resident Kevin Gilligan countered that "short-term rentals are treated as commercial use and are inconsistent with residential zones." A proposed 90-day minimum rental restriction failed 4-1, with only Austin Higgins in favor.
The board also continued two other pending applications, at 32 Hayward Lane and 8 Kescayogansett Road, to October 7 and November 18 respectively, after a quorum shortfall and a member recusal.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,425 words
Source: the Zoning Board meeting of September 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 30-day free trial
Subscribe to Orleans News to keep reading this post and get 30 days of free access to the full post archives.
Starting a trial requires a payment method. After 30 free days your subscription begins at the price shown at checkout and renews automatically until you cancel. You can cancel anytime from your account. Subscription terms
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news