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Zoning board approves renovation and new two‑car garage for historic house at 31 Hobart Avenue
Summary
The Zoning Board approved a plan to restore and expand a Gothic Revival house at 31 Hobart Avenue, including a new two‑car garage set into steep rear slopes; the board found the design preserves the historic character and imposed stormwater, steep‑slope and tree‑protection conditions.
The Summit Zoning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously on May 5 to approve a renovation, covered porches and a new two‑car detached garage for the historic house at 31 Hobart Avenue, finding the proposal balances preservation of the 19th‑century Gothic Revival dwelling with modernized living space.
Applicant Matthew Medveen and his design team told the board the work will restore historic porch details, add a covered side porch connecting to a permitted rear addition, and build a two‑car garage set lower on the lot to limit disturbance of the house and steep hillside.
Architect Ryan Petyak described the design as intended to “match the existing pitch” and materials of the house and to use detailing that echoes the original structure. Petyak said the team removed dormers from the garage design after consultations to avoid any implication of additional habitable second‑floor space in the accessory building.
Civil engineer and planner Richard (Rich) Keller explained site constraints and the reasons for the garage location. The rear of the lot drops sharply into a wooded low area; Keller said the selected site minimizes overall disturbance to steep slopes while allowing practical driveway access and vehicle turning. The plan routes roof leaders and driveway runoff into oversized dry wells and a level spreader that dissipates flow at the toe of the slope; the engineer told the board the proposal reduces existing uncontrolled runoff from the property by capturing roof drainage rather than allowing it to flow down the slope.
Keller and the architect said the garage will measure 18 feet from the street side elevation but will be higher when measured from the calculated average grade because the site falls away at the rear; the application therefore required a variance for accessory building height in addition to building coverage and the accessory side‑yard standard.
The board attached conditions including compliance with the board engineer’s memorandum, decompaction and fertilization of two front‑yard trees identified for preservation per the city forester’s recommendations, a replacement tree where one front tree will be removed, and retention of stormwater jurisdiction by the board for two years following construction to ensure the drainage measures operate as designed.
Board members praised the applicant for retaining and restoring the historic house and found the application met the legal standards for variances given the lot’s topography, the existing dwelling location and the design’s mitigation for stormwater and steep‑slope disturbance. The vote was unanimous (Malay, Steiner, Nelson, Yuko, Chifo, Feskins and Vice Chair Mazon voting yes). Building permit review and final structural drawings remain required.
