Board grants special permit for detached garage at 303 Dawson Ave, remands design back to Architectural Review Board

The Board of Zoning and Planning approved a special permit Thursday for a new detached garage with functional dormers at 303 Dawson Avenue and required the applicant to return to the Architectural Review Board (ARB) for design review.

Staff told the board the proposal met the special-permit standards for the Arch State zoning district but explained the ARB had concerns about an earlier design that placed the addition very near the property line. The applicant submitted revised drawings that moved doors and dormers; staff said the new plan no longer presented the ARB’s earlier concern but recommended the ARB complete design review. The board’s approval included a condition that the applicant be remanded to the ARB for design approval and a certificate of appropriateness.

At the hearing, staff noted the Dawson properties have deep lots and that the proposed garage would not create overlooking or adjacency issues. The board read standard findings of facts and conclusions of law and then voted to grant the permit with the remand to ARB.

One speaker who identified himself as the applicant described features of the proposed entry and attic access and said the revised plan produced a recessed entry and covered stair that improved the design. No neighbors registered opposition during the hearing.

The remand means the ARB will review the submitted design details; the board anticipated that, if ARB finds the revised design acceptable, the ARB would likely place the item on a consent agenda for final sign-off.