Hearing on 12 Duane Street conversion adjourned; owner directed to seek municipal parking permits

The Zoning Board opened a public hearing Oct. 14 on an application to legalize a two‑family dwelling at 12 Duane Street and adjourned the matter to Nov. 10 after board members and staff advised the owner to secure municipal parking permits to meet the four‑space parking requirement.

Applicant representatives — architect Jason Letrick of JL Architecture and owner Ruben Ronda — told the board Ronda purchased the property in 2023 believing it was a two‑family and has been paying sanitation for two units. When Ronda and his contractors sought a second electrical meter the building department informed them the property’s legal designation is a single family.

The zoning ordinance requires four off‑street parking spaces for the proposed two‑family use; the lot currently cannot accommodate a driveway or the required spaces. Staff and board members identified municipal parking lots within roughly 600 feet of the property and advised Ronda to pursue permits in those lots as an alternative to creating on‑site parking.

Board members said they were willing to consider a variance conditioned on the applicant obtaining and documenting long‑term municipal parking permits tied to the property rather than to transient tenants, but they did not adopt any condition at the Oct. 14 meeting. Staff said if the applicant can demonstrate the permits are in place before the Nov. 10 meeting the board could have a resolution prepared in advance.

The board opened the public hearing, heard no public speakers, and formally adjourned the hearing to the Nov. 10 meeting to allow the applicant time to pursue the municipal permits and supply documentation.

No variance was granted Oct. 14; the application remains pending.