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ZBA approves subdivision variances for 30 Coburn Avenue to allow two new lots
Summary
The board approved variances allowing an existing lot at 30 Coburn Avenue to be split into two lots that do not meet the 120‑foot lot width requirement; both lots exceed minimum area requirements and board members cited neighborhood precedent.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously April 22 to allow the Parkinson Irrevocable Trust to subdivide 30 Coburn Avenue into two lots that would not meet the city’s 120‑foot lot‑width requirement.
Surveyor Joe Wickard presented the application on behalf of the trust. He explained the existing lot has roughly 200.4 feet of frontage and that the proposed division would produce two lots with about 100 feet of frontage each. Both proposed lots would exceed the R‑18 zone minimum area (18,000 square feet) but fall short of the 120‑foot lot‑width standard.
Wickard said the configuration responds to estate‑planning needs and that nearby subdivisions in the same zoning edge had similar relief granted previously. He also noted that the new lots would be consistent with the neighborhood pattern and that the owner agreed to connect the existing well-served house to municipal water as part of the project.
Board members characterized the relief as modest and consistent with neighborhood character. Robert Shaw and others said the numbers “just didn't quite work” and that subdividing a large lot into two residential lots was in keeping with the area’s development pattern. The motion to approve the variances found no reduction to surrounding property values and that denial would create an unnecessary hardship given the lot’s size and configuration. The vote was unanimous.
The approval is subject to the usual 30‑day appeal period and required downstream planning‑board and permitting steps.
