The Brockton Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-0 to grant a variance and a special permit allowing Thelwell Group LLC to build a two-family dwelling at 737 Warren Avenue despite insufficient frontage and lot area.

The decision came at the July hearing after the petitioner presented plans showing a narrow, irregular lot split between commercial and residential zones and seeking relief from sections 27-9 (Table 1) and 27-25 of the zoning ordinance. The board granted the variance on the finding that the parcel’s unusual shape and split zoning created a unique condition affecting only the property and not the zoning district as a whole.

Attorney representing Thelwell Group, who introduced the project and appeared with applicant Isaiah Thelwell and Scott Barrier, outlined the lot’s L-shaped configuration and said the proposed two-family home would provide two parking spaces per unit and “blend in exceptionally well.” Scott Barrier disclosed he knows the applicant and that he serves on the planning board.

In questioning, board members focused on the building’s exterior egress and a rear deck that required a special permit. Chair Kenneth Galligan summarized the relief requested: “the variance that you’re asking for is relief from frontage, which normally requires 100 feet of frontage. You have 60, and you normally would need 10,000 square feet for a 2 family, and you have almost 8,000 square feet.” In a later exchange the lot area figure was clarified in discussion as about 7,000 square feet. The petitioner’s representative said the exterior stair and deck were needed to maximize interior living space and to provide a means of egress.

Board deliberations emphasized parking layout and protecting the front-yard green space. A board member noted the plan showed stacked parking spaces (one vehicle behind another) and warned the petitioner: the board “does not wanna go back there a year from now and see that front yard all blacked up across the front.” The board therefore attached conditions that the front green space remain and allowed stacked parking on each side of the dwelling. The motion to grant also included approval of the special permit for the rear deck and the restriction that the structure be used by no more than two families.

The clerk called the roll: Steve Lianus — yes; Brian Nadelli — yes; James Sweeney — yes; Monique Screenberry — yes; Chair Kenneth Galligan — yes. The vote was 5-0 and the petition was granted with the stipulations recorded on the record.

The board recorded no public testimony in favor or opposition during the public-comment portion of the hearing.

Background: The proposal affects a parcel along Packard Way and Warren Avenue in an R-2 (residential) area adjacent to a C-2 (commercial) zone. The petitioner and the board stressed the parcel’s narrow shape and split zoning as the primary grounds for the hardship claim that supported the variance.