The Concord Zoning Board of Adjustment approved three variances that will allow a proposed 22-unit multifamily building at 43 Fisherville Road to proceed despite strict perimeter-buffer and loading requirements in the general commercial zone.

Jeff Lewis of Northpointe Engineering and architect Craig Jones described a narrow, trapezoidal 1.85-acre lot with just 50 feet of Fisherville Road frontage that opens to larger usable area to the rear. The applicant proposed to demolish an older commercial building, remove existing pavement, and place a three-story building near the rear of the property to provide residents with direct access to the planned rail-trail amenity. The plan calls for 22 units and 47 parking spaces (three more than the minimum 44 required for the proposal’s density).

The needed relief included: allowing off-street parking in front of the building where the code requires parking to the side or rear (section 28-7-7(g)(3)); reducing the required 75-foot perimeter buffer for a three-story building so the building could be within roughly 37 feet of the property line and the parking within 30 feet of the line (section 28-4-5(d)(5)); and waiving the requirement for a designated off-street loading space (section 28-7-13(a)). The applicant argued that strict compliance would leave insufficient usable area to provide parking and site amenities while keeping the building away from adjacent residential properties.

Board members said the proposal was an improvement over the existing use: it removes an underutilized building and pavement, adds housing, and brings landscaping and a detached sidewalk that will improve the streetscape. Members discussed potential loading arrangements and accepted the applicant’s plan to use circulation space for occasional deliveries rather than a dedicated loading bay.

All three motions passed unanimously. The board conditioned approval on site-plan review and anticipated further discussion with the planning board on landscaping, buffer treatment and sidewalk details.