Orleans ZBA Approves Monument Road Rebuild, Defers Kescayogansett Road Project on Massing Concerns

ORLEANS -- June 17, 2026, Orleans ZBA approves a Monument Road coastal rebuild and orders a Lonnie's Pond property redesign. The Zoning Board of Appeals, meeting June 17 with four members present under Chair Gerald Mulligan, unanimously granted a special permit for John Edward Lyons and Meghan Collins Lyon to demolish and rebuild at 169 Monument Road, where the new structure will sit 18.6 feet from the coastal bank, up from just 4.3 feet, with Conservation Commission approval already in hand. The board then ran into sharp resistance on Case 2026-10, in which Andrew C. Cooper and Emily P. McKhann are proposing to lift and rotate the circa-1790 Higgins Homestead at 8 Kescayogansett Road and attach a new modern wing, pushing building coverage from 3,628 to 5,623 square feet. Member Bob Wilkinson called it "absolutely dwarfs the main house" and said he "cannot vote for it," citing year-round visibility from Lonnie's Pond; member Martin Zaber and Mulligan echoed concerns about the 118-foot-wide, two-story L-shaped addition. The board voted 4-0 to continue that hearing to July 15, directing applicants to return with a reduced massing scheme.