Wenham ZBA Unanimously Approves Gordon College Music Center and ADA Bathrooms

Zoning Board · Meeting of July 6, 2026

Wenham ZBA approves Gordon College music center and ADA bathroom addition unanimously. The Zoning Board of Appeals voted 3-0 at its July 6 virtual meeting to grant site plan approval for two Gordon College projects: the approximately 15,000-square-foot Adams Center for Music and a 400-square-foot ADA bathroom addition to the Lane Student Center. Chair Richard Modliszewski and members Kelly Schmidt and Aimee Bois Cooper approved the projects with three conditions, the most substantive requiring the college's contractor to dig a test pit in the stormwater recharge area before a full building permit is issued — needed to confirm groundwater sits at least four feet below the chamber bottoms.

A stormwater peer review by Weston and Sampson had already cleared the design, and the Conservation Commission was expected to issue its Order of Conditions the following day. The board also agreed, after extended discussion, to allow a temporary occupancy permit at the building inspector's discretion while final as-built plans and engineer affidavits are still being compiled. The college is targeting an August groundbreaking.

In the full story:

• Meeting Opening and Continuation Procedure
• Adams Center for Music — Project Overview
• Stormwater Peer Review
• Site Lighting and Dark Sky
• Lane Student Center ADA Bathroom Addition
• Proposed Conditions — Deliberation
• The complete report — 1,931 words

Source: the Zoning Board meeting of July 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.