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Board denies bid to convert 11 Canton Street to two-family, citing lack of hardship and parking concerns
Summary
The Zoning Board of Appeals denied a request to convert a single-family home at 11 Canton Street into a two-family unit, citing insufficient evidence of hardship and concerns about reduced green space and parking.
The Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5–0 to deny a petition to convert a single-family residence at 11 Canton Street into a two-family dwelling, rejecting both a variance for lot-size and a special permit for exterior stairs.
Attorney John Fink, representing petitioner Alessandro Gomes, said Gomes "intends to reside in the bottom portion while renting out the top," and described the surrounding neighborhood as dominated by multifamily housing. Fink said the lot contains about 6,600 square feet and that the property owner proposes interior additions and two exterior stairways to provide egress.
Board members questioned the claimed hardship. During deliberation the chair said he found the hardship difficult to establish and observed the property did not clearly meet size, shape or topography criteria typically used to justify a variance. Concerns were also voiced about parking and the apparent increase in paved area: board members noted the plan would reduce green space from roughly 30% to 23.9% and result in more blacktop at the front and side of the house.
After discussion a motion to grant failed on a 0–5 vote; the petition as presented was denied.
The petitioner may choose to revise and return at a future meeting or pursue other options consistent with zoning regulations.
