Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the 15 Morris Avenue topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves setback relief for 15 Morris Avenue but tables parking variance for further study
Summary
The board granted variance relief for setbacks to allow replacement of a dilapidated house at 15 Morris Avenue, conditioned on merging a small adjacent lot, but deferred a parking/driveway variance until applicants provide evidence vehicles can safely access an on‑lot garage.
The Zoning Board approved setback variances for a proposal to replace a deteriorated single‑family house at 15 Morris Avenue, but it tabled a related variance about driveway/parking configuration until the applicant can supply further turning‑radius analysis.
Attorney Randy Walker, representing Community Rentals LLC and related owners, said the existing cottage is dilapidated and the proposed replacement would keep the building footprint close to the current footprint while bringing side setbacks into better compliance. Walker invited the board to require, as a condition of approval, that the applicant merge an adjacent 1,200‑square‑foot parcel (tax map 83) into the 15 Morris lot to secure the additional area needed for the new footprint.
Board members said the proposed footprint reduces nonconformity compared with the existing structure and accepted the merger condition. However several members and neighbors expressed concern about whether two vehicles could safely enter and turn into a two‑car garage from Morris Avenue, which is roughly 14 feet wide at that block. The board asked the applicant to demonstrate, with a simple turning‑movement diagram or similar plan, that vehicles can access the garage without unsafe maneuvers. The applicant agreed and the board tabled the driveway/parking variance to the next meeting to allow time for that plan.
