Board approves demolition and new house at 241 Shadyside Avenue, grants 37.7-foot height waiver

The Concord Board of Appeals granted a special permit and site-plan review allowing the demolition of an existing dwelling and construction of a new 5,816-square-foot house at 241 Shadyside Avenue, including a height waiver permitting a maximum height of 37.7 feet (above the bylaw limit of 35 feet) to accommodate a salvaged historic barn element integrated into the design.

Applicant Zoor Tais (spelled in the transcript as a presented name) and architect Jeremiah described efforts to salvage and reassemble a century-old barn structure on the site. The Carlisle Historical Society and other historic-preservation volunteers provided documentation and urged the board to preserve the barn’s historical roof profile and form. Jack Trost of the Carlisle Historical Society testified to the barn’s documented historic significance and told the board that the society supported maintaining the barn’s original proportions. "The barn was a contributing resource eligible for national listing on the National Register of Historic Places," Trost said, adding that preserving the historic roof slope was important to maintain visual integrity.

Board members visited the site earlier the same day. Engineers and the applicant presented revised plans including additional septic-disposal detail and stormwater infiltration galleys; on-site test pits and revised grading reduced net floodplain fill to approximately one cubic yard and engineers noted suitable sandy soils for infiltration. The board discussed the legal standard for height waivers under section 6.2.11, including the purpose clause of the zoning bylaw which references conservation of building values and preservation of scenic and aesthetic character. Members balanced those considerations against neighborhood scale and sightlines; several members said the revised design and site topography made the waiver acceptable. One member noted the lot sits lower than the street so the perceived height at the road is not as large as the measurement from the lowest natural grade.

The board approved the permits subject to standard site-plan conditions, requiring a landscape plan to soften the frontage, compliance with Natural Resources and peer-review comments, and submission of final septic and stormwater details. The board recorded that the applicant will work with town staff on final planting and that the decision includes standard building-department and stormwater conditions before issuing permits.