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ZBA approves conversion at 353 Chandler Street; board asks for targeted historic-preservation elements
Summary
The board granted frontage relief and a special permit to convert 353 Chandler Street from a two-family to a three-family dwelling, approved requested waivers, and instructed the applicant to preserve or replicate certain historic‑style elements where feasible.
The Worcester zoning board of appeals on Oct. 6 approved a variance for 353 Chandler Street that reduces required frontage and a special permit to extend and alter the existing two-family building into a three-family dwelling, subject to staff conditions, waivers and modest historic-preservation guidance.
Applicant Spiro Kelly said the 2020 approval had lapsed and that he had already installed sprinkler systems and corrected parking issues previously required. Staff planner Amy Beth Lave told the board the proposal seeks relief of 20.94 feet from the 120-foot minimum frontage requirement for a three-family dwelling in a BL1 zone; the petition is otherwise the same as the 2020 approval.
The city's historic-preservation planner reviewed the exterior and suggested retaining or replacing in kind architectural details: original window elements, corner boards, sills and lintels, and similar roof shaping where feasible. The applicant told the board the cost to replicate all historic materials would be significant and said he would encapsulate existing wood with new materials, retain the bay window and 6-inch corner boards, wrap windows in aluminum and maintain the portico columns and trim elements in the form shown in the submitted plans.
Board members discussed balancing historic detail preservation with cost and lead‑paint remediation concerns, and the applicant agreed to specific items on the record: retain the bay (arched) window element, keep 6-inch corner boards, wrap existing window trim in aluminum at similar profiles and preserve the front portico elements shown on the proposed plans. Staff said those specifics would be captured in the decision.
The board voted unanimously to grant the relief, incorporating staff recommendations and the preservation elements "as stated" by the applicant; the motion included the waivers listed on the staff memo.
Speakers: Spiro Kelly (applicant/property owner), Amy Beth Lave (planning staff), Victor Panak (planning staff), and board members.
