The Board of Appeals (BOA) is known as the "Special Permit Granting Authority" and consists of 3 Members and 2 Associate Members,who are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council.  The  Associate Members may participate if a member is absent, unable to act, or has a conflict of interest.   The BOA acts on matters within its jurisdiction under Sections 10 and 11 of Chapter 40A of the Massachusetts General Laws.  An appeal to the permit granting authority may be taken by any person aggrieved by his reason of inability to obtain a permit or enforcement action.  For information on appealing a decision contact the Holyoke Board of Appeals at 413-322-5655.  

MEETINGS AND SCHEDULES

The Holyoke Board of Appeals meets the last Wednesday of each month, in the conference room of the City Hall Annex, 20 Korean Veterans Plaza, Holyoke, MA. Hearings are held on a first come, first serve basis. Special requests for a hearing date may be granted only for extradordinary circumstances.  Unless otherwise specified at the hearing, a hearing or vote that is continued will take place at the next regularly scheduled meeting.  Payment of local taxes, fees and assessments and other municipal charges are a prerequisite to a hearing.  The application for a variance for BOA is $200.00.  This fee is nonrefundable.

FORMS 

All petitions to the BOA shall be made on forms supplied by the BOA office or below.

• Instructions for Variance Application 
• Application Checklist
• Application  

 PLANS

All plans shall be drawn to scale, show all dimensions and be clearly labeled.  A site plan is required for any request affecting the dimension of a structure or a parcel of land.  A building plan is also required of any zoning or building code variance request relative to the structure itself, such as an addition. When applicable, plans shall include existing and proposed conditions.  

BOARD OF APPEALS

HOURS:  8:30 - 4:30 PM (Mon-Fri)

(413) 322-5655

(413) 534-2299 (Fax)

BOARD OF APPEALS MEMBERS:

Elbert Bowler, Member

Dexter Gess, Member

John Pierce, Member

Kevin Haarmann, Associate Member