HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-09-15 Zoning Board of Appeals Minutesaulrl LKK
Town of Reading
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
Minutes of September 15, 2005
Members present:
Members absent:
Susan Miller
Robert Redfernn
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Paul Dustin
r
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Mark Gillis
John Jarema
c y
Michael Conway
CID
A meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the
Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts at 7:00 P.M. Also present was Glen
Redmond, Commissioner of Buildings.
Case # 05-19
A Public Hearing on the petition of Carl E. D'Angelo, Jr. who seeks a Special Permit under
Section(s) 6.3.10.2/6.3.17/6.3.11/6.3.11.2 of the Zoning By-laws in order to raze the existing
four-unit dwelling and construct a new four-unit dwelling on the property located at' 30-32
Elliott Street / 100-102 Green Street. The use is a non-conforming use.
Attorney Brad Latham asked that the case be continued because the client is out of state.
On a motion by Robert Redfern, seconded by Paul Dustin, the Zoning Board of Appeals moved
to continue the case to October 6, 2005.
The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0-0 (Miller, Redfern, Dustin).
Case #05-18
A Public Hearing on the petition of Kneeland Construction Corp. who seeks a Variance under
Section(s) 5.0 (setbacks) of the Zoning By-laws in order to re-connect a pool deck to the existing
dwelling on the property located at 7 Pine Avenue. The connection of this deck will be a
violation of side and rear yard setbacks.
1 September 15, 2005
Carl Dumas of Kneeland Construction Corp. spoke on behalf of the Applicant. He submitted an
infonnation package and a statement from the neighbors supporting the reattachment. It will
violate side and rear setbacks if they reattach the deck to the pool. They need to reattach the deck
to make the pool useful. The pool was built in 1987 and the deck was built in 1990. The structure
is over ten years old. There would be no harm to the neighborhood. The house is at one level
along with the deck and if the deck is not attached it would not be useful. The Applicant's
handicapped child needs this deck in order to use the pool.
The Applicant/Owner, Jim Cooper, said his daughter is housebound except for school and the
pool is useful for her. He bought the house in 2001 because it did have the pool and deck.
The Building Inspector said Mass General Law says if the deck has been there for over ten years
it can be grandfathered in by the Board. The pool as it is now without being connected conforms
but once you connect it, the deck becomes part of the house and must meet the 15' and 20'
setbacks. There was a prior case that the previous owners withdrew without prejudice in the past
that he thought was related to a pool and a deck.
Phil Doherty, 13 Pine Avenue, said the original house always had a small deck but previous
owners built the current pool and the deck. He said the pool and deck did not bother him even
though it took up most of the Applicant's yard.
The Board asked if the shed was going to be removed and Mr. Dumas said it would be.
The Board said the Town By-laws reference the State statute that says any non-complying
structure that has been in effect for more than ten years can be accepted. Therefore, the Board
said that if they found the deck had been there for 10 years then it would just be a Finding and
not a Variance or a Special Permit.
On a motion by Robert Redfern, seconded by Paul Dustin, the Zoning Board of Appeals made a
finding that the existing deck surrounding the above ground pool, by virtue of evidence, has been
in existence for over ten years and therefore, in accordance with Section 6.3.2.4 of the Town
Zoning Bylaws, the deck surrounding the existing pool is grandfathered in regarding the existing
setbacks.
The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0-0 (Miller, Redfern, Dustin).
Case # 05-21
A Public Hearing on the petition of Keith Dissel who seeks a Special Permit under Section(s)
6.3.17 of the Zoning By-laws in order to remove an existing single family dwelling and to
construct a new single family dwelling on the existing non-conforming lot on the property
located at 202 Bancroft Avenue.
2 September 15, 2005
Keith Dissel said he has lived there for over 20 years and wanted to expand and renovate. The
contractors he spoke with said it would be more cost effective to remove the old dwelling and
build a new one. There will be a garage under the house and the stone wall that is presently there
will be removed. The new structure will conform to all setbacks and the height will be 28'. The
lot is non-conforming because of the area but the proposed dwelling will meet all required
setbacks.
The Building Inspector said they will need an elevation to know where the existing grade is now
and the proposed elevation before it is demolished. The Applicant will be dropping the grade a
few feet so it will be lower than it is at present.
On a motion by Paul Dustin, seconded by Robert Redfern, the Zoning Board of Appeals moved
to grant the Applicant a Special Permit under Section 6.3.17 of the Zoning By-laws in order to
remove the current dwelling and to replace it with a new structure on the property, as shown on
the Certified Plot Plan with the following three standard conditions:
1. The Petitioner shall submit to the Building Inspector a Certified Plot Plan of the
proposed construction and proposed foundation plans prior to the issuance of a
Foundation Permit for the work.
2. The Petitioner's final construction plans for the new dwelling shall be submitted to
the Building Inspector prior to the issuance of a Building Permit.
3. As-built plans showing the completed construction shall be submitted to the Building
Inspector immediately after the work is completed and prior to the issuance of an
Occupancy Permit.
The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0-0 (Miller, Redfern, Dustin).
Other Business:
An inconsistency was noted by the Board in the decision previously submitted for ZBA Case
#05-16. A paragraph will be deleted in order to make the wording clearer. The revised decision
will be sent to the abutters. The initial release of the decision for this case inadvertently
contained two contradictory conditions, Numbers (2) and (3). Condition 2 required a four foot
chain link fence along the boundary between the two lots fronting on Main Street, rising to a six
foot chain link fence in front of the wet lands protected area. Condition 3 required a six foot
chain link fence continuous for the full distance. This correction deletes the previous Condition
2, and renumbers the remaining Conditions as 2 and 3, thus specifying a continuous six foot
fence.
Minutes:
On a motion by Robert Redfern, seconded by Paul Dustin, the minutes of June 1, 2005 were
accepted with changes.
September 15, 2005
The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0-0 (Miller, Redfern, Dustin).
On a motion by Robert Redfern, second by Paul Dustin, the Zoning Board of Appeals voted to
adjourn the meeting.
The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0-0 (Miller, Redfern, Dustin).
Respectfully
Maureen M.
Recording Si
4 September 15, 2005