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Planning board approves driveway expansion at 157–161 Congress St., with fence and permeable surfacing conditions
Summary
The Chelsea Planning Board granted a petitioner’s request to extend and surface a side-yard parking area at a two‑unit property at 157–161 Congress Street, subject to a fence, permeable paving and standard conditions; the final zoning decision is scheduled before the Zoning Board on Aug. 12.
The Chelsea Planning Board voted to grant a petition to expand off‑street parking at 157–161 Congress Street, approving a proposal to cover a grass side yard with gravel and to reconfigure parking so vehicles do not park one behind another. Kitiana Moreno, the petitioner, told the board the two‑unit building can currently only fit “two cars, one in front of the other” and that the gravel area would create four usable spaces and allow cars to turn and park in line with the driveway.
The board approved the petition with conditions. A Planning Board member moved to approve “with the provision that you will provide a fence and that the paving material will be something that’s permeable, whether it’s gravel or permeable pavers.” The motion was seconded and carried; the board noted standard conditions will apply, including a fence on the two sides of the property except at the curb cut, and a landscape strip behind the front fence.
Nut graf: The decision allows the homeowner to add off‑street parking at a densely built two‑unit property while the board sought to limit impacts on the public right of way and to preserve surface drainage by requiring permeable surfacing and landscape buffering.
Board members asked whether the existing driveway entrance would change; Moreno said the curb cut and sidewalk access would remain unchanged and that the fenced area would keep vehicles from driving across the handicap ramp. When asked how many residents the driveway would serve, Moreno said two families currently live on the property and the petitioner expects to provide four parking spaces.
The board’s approval is a zoning permission; the petitioner was told she will appear before the Zoning Board on Tuesday, Aug. 12, for the final decision. The Planning Board’s conditions — a fence along the two sides except for the curb cut, a landscape strip behind the front fence, and permeable surfacing — will be enforced as part of the permit/plan compliance process.
The board also noted, earlier in the meeting, that three other cases (50 Heard Street; 34–62 Winnesimmit Street; and 816 & 818 Broadway) requested continuances to the August meeting; those continuances were approved and the planning board said staff would consult petitioners about moving any cases to September to avoid an overloaded August agenda.
Ending: The petitioner’s final zoning hearing is scheduled for Aug. 12; the Planning Board’s approval supplies the conditions the Zoning Board can incorporate into any final decision.
