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Neighbors oppose two‑family plan at 18 Grandview amid runoff, parking and privacy concerns
Summary
Elmer Castillo’s proposal to build a two‑family at 18 Grandview drew neighborhood opposition at a March 11 ZBA hearing. The plan includes underground tandem parking, EV chargers and a stormwater infiltration system; residents and councilors urged independent drainage and shadow studies and raised parking loss and sewer runoff concerns.
Elmer Castillo’s plan to build a two‑family duplex at 18 Grandview Road drew detailed scrutiny and opposition from neighbors at the Chelsea Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on March 11.
Attorney Rebecca Edmons presented the application on behalf of Castillo and said the vacant lot was created in 1988; the application proposes a side‑by‑side duplex with two 3‑bedroom, roughly 1,550‑square‑foot units, underground tandem parking and electric vehicle chargers. The design team said the roof will channel stormwater to an underground infiltration system at the rear, pervious pavers will be installed near the parking entry, and a 31‑foot curb cut is proposed, which will remove about one to two on‑street parking spaces.
Architect Adimir Tosca and the civil‑engineering subcontractor outlined plans for three gutters that pitch to the rear to collect roof runoff into an infiltration unit and a metal drain before the parking entry. The team said they added stormwater documentation in response to neighbor concerns and that the site will have tandem underground spaces with EV chargers; they acknowledged the curb cut will require Department of Public Works approval.
Neighbors raised multiple concerns. Valerie Green, who owns 14 Grandview, said the narrow street is already heavily used, that recent curb cuts reduced on‑street spaces, and that sewer overflows have occurred in recent years; she asked whether excavation could affect her foundation. Mary Gerace, speaking for neighbors including 23 Grandview, submitted a petition with 26 signatures and asked for an independent watershed study and an independent shadow study chosen by the city. Councilor Todd Taylor said many residents oppose the plan and emphasized chronic stormwater and parking pressures from nearby hospital overflow.
Board staff and members clarified that tandem parking requires a special permit because Chelsea zoning does not recognize tandem spaces for parking totals, and that residents of any units given parking relief would not be eligible for neighborhood street‑parking stickers. The applicant said the units would initially be rentals with the intention of deeding them to his children later.
The Zoning Board did not decide the application at the March 11 meeting. The applicant’s packet and revised stormwater plans will go to the Planning Board on March 25; the ZBA will resume the hearing on April 8. The applicant agreed to provide groundwater information from the civil engineer and said a more detailed landscaping and lighting plan would be supplied before the next hearing.
