Zoning Board of Appeals

The Zoning Board of Appeals opened with a public hearing on a Special Permit for 58 Pleasant Valley Road. The applicant proposed demolishing a gutted house and three accessory sheds and rebuilding a new Victorian-style home using the sheds' square footage; the septic for a two-bedroom unit will remain. Board discussion focused on the complete teardown, tight side setbacks (including a very small existing setback), and assurance of permanent off-street parking tied to an existing access easement. No members of the public spoke on this item. The Board approved the Special Permit 4-1 (one member opposed due to concerns about the tight setbacks).

The Board then heard a comprehensive permit application from Housing Support Inc. for 276-278-280 Main St. City counsel and staff summarized department and committee comments (Police, Fire, DPW, Design Review Committee, and Stantec peer review), noting requests for stamped plans, truck-turn templates, snow storage, water/sewer/curb permits, and stormwater clarifications. The applicant presented revised civil and architectural plans, fence and screening proposals, and an explanation of parking calculations; abutters raised concerns about fencing type and height, loss of vegetated buffer, dumpster siting, water-main pressure and reliability, and privacy impacts. The Board voted to have City Counsel draft a decision for review based on revised plans to be submitted by July 30, 2025, and to require the applicant to perform additional hydrant flow testing and update civil and architectural plans per peer-review and DRC feedback (all motions approved unanimously). The comprehensive permit hearing was left open for further review and scheduled for additional consideration at the next meeting.