Board grants minor side-yard relief for addition at 131 Hubbard Street

The board granted a special permit to permit a modest second-floor addition at 131 Hubbard Street that will extend a nonconforming side-yard condition by less than one foot. Architect Elise Stone said the house is a circa-1890 structure with a wraparound porch and that the second-floor change increases a portion of the house’s projection from 13.5 feet to 12.7 feet on the nonconforming side.

Stone told the board the lot is conforming by area and frontage and the existing porch and first-floor conditions continue to meet setback rules under the bylaw’s 3-foot borrowing provision; the requested relief was limited to the second floor. Stone said she spoke with neighboring owners and that the adjacent property owners had no objections. "I go to the neighbors and talk to the neighbors. Great. And, no. They're both fine on either side," Stone said.

Board members characterized the requested modification as de minimis and consistent with neighborhood context. One member said it would be “unreasonable to redesign the house when it was designed thinking that they weren't over the line.” The motion to grant the special permit under sections 7.1.5 and 11.6 passed unanimously; the applicant agreed to standard conditions and the board noted project compliance with relevant site and building code requirements.

The board recorded that no public letters of opposition were received and that abutters had been consulted. The applicant said final construction details will be consistent with the plans discussed and that the small second-floor projection is necessary for interior program needs.