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Disability commission recommends one‑year temporary relief for Renewed Baptist Church variance request
Summary
The commission recommended temporary, one‑year relief to the AAB for 48 Clinton Street’s requested access variance and asked for reevaluation after a year rather than granting permanent relief.
The Framingham City Disability Commission voted Wednesday to recommend that the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (AAB) grant temporary relief, for one year, for a variance requested by Renewed Baptist Church at 48 Clinton Street, with a required reevaluation after the temporary period.
The church is renovating portions of its building and sought permanent relief from certain access requirements for a raised choir/musician area, arguing that a permanent additional access point would be cost‑prohibitive and provide limited benefit. Commission members stressed that religious institutions are reviewed under state AAB regulations (5 21 CMR) rather than the federal ADA when deliberating variances and that the AAB’s standard for a variance includes demonstrating that a required change would not provide substantial benefit given excessive cost.
Why it matters: The commission said it preferred temporary relief because that approach preserves the church’s ability to reassess once the renovation is complete and budgets are final, rather than removing future leverage to improve access should circumstances change.
Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of an advisory letter asking the AAB to grant temporary relief for 12 months, then reevaluate. Treasurer Susie Santone and others said the commission has used a similar approach with other religious institutions and that a one‑year review would give the church time to complete work and report final layouts and budgets to the AAB.
Next steps: The commission will prepare an advisory letter to the AAB recommending temporary relief and will request the AAB revisit the matter in one year to assess whether permanent remediation is feasible.
