Financial hardship and the promise of a new business in town were not enough to convince Mattapoisett’s Zoning Board of Appeals to approve a proposed marine boat repair and storage facility in a residential district.

Owner Monika Schuler and her family live on a 13-acre property, which was operated as Spring Meadows Farm until last summer.

Marion residents Daniel and Kelly Crete, owners of the Marion-based Saltworks Marine, proposed purchasing the parcel, located at 109 Marion Road (Route 6), to use for their company as well as to revitalize the farm in front of the house.

On Thursday, attorney Richard Manning, of New Bedford, presented the case to the Zoning Board asking for a variance due to Schuler’s financial hardship.

“She bought it 15 years ago with the intention do [build] a bog,” said Manning. “Large sums of money were invested. Now it put has put them in a position where they are facing college expenses and need to do something with this property in order to recoup their losses.”

In defense of putting a company in a residential area, Manning said there was nowhere else in Mattapoisett for a boat business to operate. “It’s not intrusive to neighbors or the neighborhood. There’s no major traffic. It’s not retail. It will be virtually invisible from Route 6,” said Manning.

But several neighbors disagreed.

Beth Andrews said the creation of the bog on a hill had already had a negative affect on her home.

“Suddenly, my neighbor and I, our basements are flooded every time it rains,” said Andrews. Of Saltworks Marine, she said, “I do not want it on a bog that shouldn’t have been built in the first place.”

Residents were also concerned about boats turning into the property from Route 6. “It is not a spot where you want to bring a boat in or out,” said Andrews. “I’ve almost gotten hit many times in that spot.”

Some people spoke out in favor of the project, including John Mathieu who is also a member of the Planning Board. “This is not a business that’s coming in to build products and ship them out, it’s a business coming in to service the local population. That fits right into our master plan,” he said. “It will have minimal impact. Most of the year it’s going to be quiet.”

Ultimately, the board decided that the hardship was not sufficient to grant a variance. The board voted against the proposal 4-1, with Kenneth Pacheco the sole member to vote in favor of it.