Planning Board approves 650‑square‑foot basement ADU at 7 Brass Street with curb‑cut condition

The Brockton Planning Board on Sept. 3 unanimously approved a site‑plan application to create a 650‑square‑foot basement accessory dwelling unit at a newly constructed house at 7 Brass Street, with the condition that the driveway curb cut be shifted 6 feet from the location shown on the applicant’s plan.

The move to shift the curb cut was intended to ensure the ADU’s two designated parking spaces remain accessible and not blocked by use of the two‑car garage for storage, Planning Board member James Sweeney said during the meeting.

Scott Faria, engineer for the applicant and principal of Homegrown Engineering, presented the plan and said the proposed basement ADU would include a kitchen, living room and two bedrooms. “We have a proposed 650 square foot basement accessory dwelling unit,” Faria told the board. He said the project had been reviewed twice by technical staff and that he had worked with Building and Deputy Chief Weeks on egress from the basement ADU to the garage and outside.

Why the meeting mattered: accessory units can add housing supply but raise parking and egress concerns in tight neighborhood lots. The board’s conditional approval attempts to balance the owner’s intent to add a rental unit with neighbors’ and public‑safety staff concerns about safe access and off‑street parking.

Board members focused on parking and curb‑cut width. Sweeney asked whether the ADU parking spaces could be reached reliably if the garage were used for storage, a common occurrence. Faria said the site currently has a two‑car garage and that, with the planned bump‑out of the driveway, there would be a total of four on‑site spaces: two garage spaces for the principal dwelling and two ADU spaces marked on the plan. He acknowledged that, realistically, only one vehicle might fit in front of the garage without blocking the ADU parking and agreed that shifting the ADU parking six feet along the driveway would improve access.

Deputy Chief Weeks and building‑department staff raised egress and life‑safety comments during the technical review process, Faria said, and the applicant revised the plan to address those concerns. The board’s approval included the standard technical conditions from staff and the stipulation on moving the curb cut.

Formal action: Planning Board member James Sweeney moved to approve the site plan with the stipulation that the curb cut be shifted six feet from the plan’s current location; the motion passed on a roll call vote with all participating members recorded as voting yes.

The applicant may now proceed with building‑department permitting subject to the planning department’s standard conditions and the curb‑cut adjustment.

The board opened the item for public comment; no members of the public raised their hands to speak.

The board’s decision was recorded at the meeting of Sept. 3; staff will oversee compliance with the technical conditions before final sign‑off.