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Zoning board: votes at a glance — approvals, conditions and next steps for several Manchester properties
Summary
At its May hearing the Manchester Zoning Board approved variances for a slate of residential and site changes across the city, granting relief on multiple subdivision, parking, signage and accessory‑structure requests. Several approvals include specific conditions such as securing easements, DPW coordination or design stipulations.
The Manchester Zoning Board of Adjustment considered and decided a series of cases at its May public hearing. Below are short summaries of each board action, the outcome and any immediate conditions recorded in the meeting minutes.
Votes at a glance
- ZBA2025‑36 — 383 Concord Street (subdivision to create one new buildable lot). Board approved variances for reduced buildable lot area, frontage, side setbacks and floor‑area‑ratio on the existing 3‑family and the new lot. Approval was unanimous and included a condition that the applicant secure a valid recorded easement for access to the rear parking area before final subdivision recording. (Condition in minutes: recorded access easement required.)
- ZBA2025‑38 — 23 West Webster Street (dwelling above commercial first floor). Board unanimously granted a variance to allow the owner to occupy an upper‑story dwelling in a building with a commercial first floor, citing underused space and neighborhood context.
- ZBA2025‑39 — 238 Auburn Street (rear egress stair and six parking spaces). The board granted variances for side‑yard setback, parking layout and parking bumpers to permit a code‑required exterior egress stair and to regularize a proposed six‑space layout. The board found the work supported public safety and fit the character of the neighborhood.
- ZBA2025‑40 — 2405–2445 Brown Avenue (three freestanding signs). The board granted relief to allow three freestanding/directional signs on the Ford auto facility parcel; site constraints from utility lines and frontage informed the decision. Approval included the board’s finding that the signs aid wayfinding and site safety.
- ZBA2025‑42 — 400–402 Heavey Street (6‑ft fence in front yard, corner lot). The board unanimously approved a variance to keep a six‑foot vinyl fence on a corner lot front yard setback, subject to a stylistic condition that the upper portion be non‑solid (lattice or pickets) so the fence does not read as a continuous nine‑foot wall above the existing rock retaining wall.
- ZBA2025‑43 — 2125 Elm Street (replace garage with larger two‑story garage). Variances for accessory structure placement and height were granted unanimously; board members found the modest increase in height and the building footprint consistent with surrounding properties.
- ZBA2025‑46 — 145 Garvin Avenue (three‑lot subdivision). The board approved variances allowing subdivision into three lots with reduced lot size and frontage and reduced side setbacks for two new lots. The board noted the neighborhood contains many smaller, pre‑zoning parcels and found the proposal consistent with neighborhood scale. (Vote recorded; applicant to follow planning‑board process.)
- ZBA2025‑47 — 70 Armand Avenue (after‑the‑fact front‑yard parking space). The board approved a variance for a small paved parking space in the front yard that encroaches on the street‑setback; approval included a condition that the variance terminate if the city later expands the public right‑of‑way in front of the parcel.
- ZBA2025‑48 — 231 Beaver Street (replace and enlarge deck; driveway updates; shed and rear parking). The board approved variances for a relocated, larger composite deck and for two parking spaces in the rear yard setback and maintained the existing shed as an accessory structure; the board found the replacement deck and improved driveway would better serve the property and the neighborhood.
- ZBA2025‑49 — 1529 Union Street (one‑story addition encroaching into side setback). The board granted a reduced side‑yard setback variance to permit a small addition to create a ground‑floor bedroom and bathroom; members said the lot and house geometry created a narrow buildable width and the addition fit neighborhood scale.
- Remand: ZBA2024‑101 — 4 Geneva Street (Housing Appeals Board remand). The Zoning Board reviewed the Housing Appeals Board’s order and made findings tying the hardship analysis to the general purposes of the zoning ordinance. The board re‑issued its decision granting variances for subdivision and accessory uses, and clarified that the propane tanks and temporary shed are consistent with the relief as described in the minutes; the board also recorded a requirement that an access easement be recorded for the parking arrangement where the record showed shared use.
What’s next
Most approved items must still obtain Planning Board site‑plan approval, building permits, or satisfy DPW or other engineering requirements before construction can begin. Cases that included conditions (for example, recorded easements or DPW access determination) must satisfy those conditions before final approvals can be recorded or permits issued.
Meeting minutes and full staff reports (including traffic memos and site plans) are available from the Planning and Community Development office for members of the public seeking further details on any listed case.
