Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Residential Subdivision topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fall River ZBA approves subdivision to separate 2- and 3-family homes at Cambridge and Rodman streets
Summary
The Zoning Board granted a special permit to divide two properties so that a three-family dwelling and a two-family dwelling would be on separate lots; approval included conditions on recorded affidavits for utilities and no additional dwelling units.
The Fall River Zoning Board of Appeals on Sept. 18 approved a special permit to subdivide the properties at 582 Cambridge Street and 1215 Rodman Street so that each structure would sit on its own lot — leaving the existing three-family dwelling on one parcel and a two-family on the other. The board found the split would not be substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood and attached conditions to the approval.
Why it matters: The action regularizes separate ownership and taxation of two preexisting multi-family buildings in an R-2 (two-family) zoning district while preserving the current number of dwelling units on each lot.
Attorney Jeffrey Medeiros, representing petitioners Philippe and Maria Furtado, told the board the buildings predate the city’s zoning ordinance and already have separate utilities and sewer connections; the only practical issue was a single tax bill that the owners sought to split. The filings list lot sizes as 2,256 square feet for 582 Cambridge and 3,527 square feet for 1215 Rodman.
The board approved the motion with an amendment requiring the recording of an affidavit confirming separated utilities and suitable markings or survey lines and with an explicit finding that no additional dwelling units (ADUs) be added without return to the board. The motion carried unanimously.
What to expect: The applicants must record required affidavits and provide finalized survey work for the planning board filing. The ZBA’s approval is limited to the zoning relief requested; separate permits and inspections may still be required by other city departments.
Speakers and key attributions: Attorney Jeffrey Medeiros presented the petition; board members granted the special permit with the stated conditions; the chairman reminded petitioners that additional permits may be required.
Outcome: Special permit granted with conditions to record utilities affidavit, mark/block lines per plan, and confirmation that no additional dwelling units will be added absent further approval.
