More than 20 people, mostly neighbors, came to Town Hall on Thursday night to voice their disapproval of a variance that would allow homeowner Robert Fiano to bypass 40-foot setbacks on his lot.

Fiano proposed to build a garage, deck and shed on the .76-acre property he purchased at 397 North Avenue last summer.

To receive the variance, Fiano had to prove that the land had unique circumstances, that abiding by the bylaws would cause a hardship and that it wouldn’t cause “substantial detriment to the public good.”

Right off the bat Zoning Board member Kirby Gilmore attempted to determine if Fiano met the three stipulations by asking if he was aware the property was only .76 acres when he purchased it. Fiano said he did know that.

Fiano’s proposal put his garage at 12.5 feet from the nearest property line, the deck 18 feet and the shed about 10 feet. A privacy fence recently installed around his property did not negate the need for the 40-foot setback from property lines.

A number of neighbors spoke out against Fiano’s proposal, some saying they were denied building projects that would have been closer than the setback.

Alice Guinen suggested that Fiano, who owns a towing business in Acushnet, was planning to use the property to conduct business and that his existing carport was already 40 feet from her property.

“Mr. Fiano failed to do his due diligence when he purchased the house in Orchard Estates,” she said.

Guinen also said approving the variance would “negatively impact the saleability of my property.”

Others said the expansion would affect the town’s “rural look.”

Fiano said he had no plans to use the garage for his business, but wanted to give more room for his four kids to have an indoor space.

Ultimately, the board decided Fiano did not meet the three requirements to approve a variance. The members unanimously denied his application.