Needham ZBA approves special permit to add enclosed garage space at 99 Whitman Road

The Needham Zoning Board of Appeals on June 12 granted Jeffrey and Andrea Gaiman a special permit to allow one additional enclosed garage space at 99 Whitman Road by replacing a 6-foot-by-8-foot door on the accessory cabana/pool house with a 10-foot-by-8-foot-9-inch door.

The change was sought to allow indoor storage of a trailer-mounted boat rather than parking it in the driveway. Attorney George Gentry Jr., representing the applicants, told the board the request involves “no change to the structure, no change to the layout, no change to the floor plan” other than the larger door.

Nut graf: The board found the door change triggers the zoning definition of a garage space and that the property meets the criteria for a special permit under the Town of Needham zoning by-law. Municipal staff submitted no objections, no abutters spoke at the hearing, and the board approved the permit by voice vote.

The property is in the Single Residence A (SRA) zoning district and is a conforming lot of about one acre with 235.46 feet of frontage on Whitman Road. Gentry said the cabana/pool house and main house are under construction and that the cabana’s first floor was approved as a large open storage area. He told the board the applicants want a 10-foot-wide by 8-foot-9-inch-high door so they can store a trailer-mounted boat — described in the hearing as a roughly 20-foot Boston Whaler on a near-9-foot trailer — inside the accessory building.

Because a door large enough to admit a vehicle renders the space a garage under the by-law, the applicants applied for a special permit under Section 6.10.2 (and related provisions noted in the application). Gentry argued the change meets the by-law criteria: the property is already configured for accessory residential use; setbacks, dimensions and density comply; and the door swap would not alter the residential character. He also said storing the boat indoors is less likely to harm adjacent property values than storing a boat outside.

The board asked whether the town could limit the use to boat storage rather than a garage; Gentry and other participants said the building department cannot practically limit a building permit to a specific type of equipment and that a future owner could use the space for a vehicle. The transcript records no neighbor objections, and municipal reviews from the Building Commissioner, Planning Department, Fire Department, Public Health Division and Public Works were noted as having no concerns. No police comments were received.

After closing the public hearing, a board member moved to approve the special permit “to allow 1 additional enclosed garage space within the accessory cabana pool house currently under construction under section 6.10.2 and any other applicable sections of the by-law.” A second was recorded, and the chair called for the ayes. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

The approved change is limited to the door dimensions; the board’s action does not alter the approved building footprint, floor plan or other approved permits for the property. The applicants and their counsel were told the decision will be reflected in the formal permit documents.