Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-09-07 Zoning Board of Appeals Minutes4ovePao Town of Reading y� ; s' Meeting Minutes Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Zoning Board of Appeals Date: 2022-09-07 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Location: Address: Session: Purpose: Remote Meeting Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: TI, CLERK TOw.IP;'. , P . Lr, � 39SrP-5 Ai7�35 Cynde Hartman, Cy Caouette, Andrew Grasberger and Patrick Houghton Members - Not Present: Ryan Bourque Others Present: Senior Planner Andrew MacNichol, Building Commissioner Bret Bennett, Karl S., Glen Patterson, Carol Patterson, Nancy Twomey, Steve Reilly, Harley Fulton, Dan Baptiste, Susan Cotter, Lindsey, Scott, Annie Donohue, Siobhan Murphy, Bing Xia, Bruce Johnson Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Amanda Beatrice Topics of Discussion: Mr. Caouette called the meeting to order at 7:02pm Case #22-10 - 70 Belmont Street Mr. Cy Caouette opened the public hearing for Case #22-10 - 70 Belmont Street. He read the legal notice into the record and swore in the members of the public wishing to speak. Ms. Susan Cotter gave a brief explanation of her project, which is to build a porch on the front of their home. Their proposal is to add a farmer's porch to the front of their home, the side of which will remain flush with the side wall and will not get any closer to the neighbor's property. The new porch will be within the same pre-existing nonconforming side yard setback. She noted that the wall of the house was built about 20 or 30 years ago and at the time complied wfth setbacks, but is only about 10 feet from the property line. The size of the porch will be 5 feet deep and 16 feet wide. Mr. Caouette noted that it is a nonconforming lot with a non -conforming side yard setback and believes the proposal is straightforward as they are not creating a new non -conformity. Ms. Hartman and Mr. Houghton stated they agreed with Mr. Caouette. Staff Planner Mr. Andrew MacNichol opened the meeting to public comment and seeing no public comments closed the public portion. Mr. Houghton made a motion to approve Special Permit for Case #22-10 - 70 Belmont Street. Ms. Hartman seconded the motion and it was approved 4-0-0 (Houghton, Grasberger, Caouette, Hartman). Case #22-11- 35 Prospect Street Mr. Caouette opened the public hearing for Case #22-11-35 Prospect Street. He read the legal notice into the record and swore in members of the public wishing to speak. Mr. Steve Riley, the homeowner, briefly explained their proposal. He noted that this proposal is a two- story addition which has an accessory apartment. It will be located to the left of the home and set back from the street line. The roofline will match the existing home and the entrance will be located off of the front deck. Ms. Hartman stated that she believes this proposal would fit in better with the neighborhood and has no issue with the proposal. Mr. Grasberger asked if there would be any issues with parking. Mr Riley noted that the driveway can fit 4 cars and the garage can fit 2 more. He also noted that the intent was for this to stay a family home with the idea of their family aging in the future. Mr. Houghton asked the applicant to confirm if the home was a single family and if it was 986 sf. The applicant confirmed that he was correct. Mr. Caouette asked the applicant if the addition was a single bedroom and they confirmed it was. He asked what makes up the 986 square feet total and they replied that the square footage includes the first and second floors. Mr. Caouette asked if the homeowner lived in the home and he confirmed he lives in the house. Mr. Caouette asked if the home would continue to look like a single-family home with a side entrance and it was confirmed it would. He asked if the water and sewage would be hooked up to the Town and it was confirmed It would be. He asked to confirm how many people would be living in the apartment and if the basement would remain unfinished. The applicant confirmed only 2 people would live in the apartment, and the basement would remain unfinished. Mr. Caouette asked if they were to finish the basement if they would need additional relief. Mr. Bret Bennett, Building Commissioner stated yes, unless it was used for the principal dwelling. Mr. MacNichol opened the meeting up to public comment and seeing no public comment he closed the public comment. Mr. Caouette made a motion to approve Special Permit for Case #22-11— 35 Prospect Street. Mr. Grasberger sewnded the motion and it was approved 4-0-0 (Houghton, Grasberger, Caouette, Hartman). Case #22-12 - 71 Middlesex Ave Mr. Caouette opened the public hearing for Use #22-12-71 Middlesex Ave. He read the legal notice into the record and swore in members of the public wishing to speak. Ms. Nancy Twomey, representing the applicant, briefly described the proposal. She stated the property is on the corner of Middlesex Ave and Deering Street, which was built in approximately 1910, before the Zoning Bylaws in Reading, and was completely renovated in 2014. The lot and existing structure are both non -conforming. The owners are adding a pool and moving the driveway to Middlesex Street after receiving approval from the Select Board. They also plan to remove the existing porch off the side to renovate the kitchen and add a mudroom/porch in the front after removing the existing porch. The front yard setback after work is completed will be 11.6' at its closest point, which is greaterthan the current non-wnforming 9.6'. She also noted that neighbors have submitted their letters of support. Mr. Grasberger stated that he had no issues with the project. Ms. Hartman, Mr. Houghton and Mr. Caouette also agreed with Mr. Grasberger. Page 1 2 Staff Planner Mr. MacNichol opened the meeting to public comment and seeing no public comments closed the public comment period. Mr. Grasberger made a motion to approve Special Permit for Case #22-12 - 71 Middlesex Ave. Ms. Hartman seconded the motion and it was approved 4-0-0 (Houghton, Grasberger, Caouette, Hartman). Case #22-13 - 84 John Carver Road Mr. Caouette opened the public hearing for Case #22-13 - 84 John Carver Road. He read the legal notice into the record and swore in members of the public wishing to speak. The applicant's architect Mr. Holton Harley briefly described the proposal. He noted they are looking to expand their home with an addition that will meet the front yard setback and they will maintain the existing 17.4' rear yard. The addition will be 4.7'x12.8' adding more area to the kitchen space on the first floor and closet space on the second floor. Mr. Caouette stated he had no additional comment. Ms. Hartman, Mr. Houghton also agreed. Mr. MacNichol opened the meeting to public comment and seeing no public comments closed the public portion. Mr. Houghton made a motion to approve Special Permit for Case #22-13 -84 John Carver Road. Mr. Grasberger seconded the motion and it was approved 4-0-0 (Houghton, Grasberger, Caouette, Hartman). ZBA Minutes 12/16/2021 Mr. Caouette made a motion to accept the minutes of 12/16/21 as amended. Ms. Hartman seconded the motion and it was approved 4-0-0. ZBA Minutes 6/16/2022 Ms. Hartman made a motion to accept the minutes as Amended. Mr. Houghton seconded the motion and it was approved 4-0-0. Other business Mr. MacNichol and the ZBA Members had a brief conversation about nominating a Chair and Vice Chair and the upcoming ZBA schedule. The members decided to continue the conversation until the next meeting. Mr. Caouette made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:01pm. Ms. Hartman seconded the motion Page 1 3