Peabody ZBA pauses 450-square-foot pool pavilion request, asks applicants to reduce size and resubmit

The Peabody Zoning Board of Appeals continued an application for a pool pavilion at 13 Eisenhower Road after board members said the proposed pavilion and accessory structure exceed typical size allowances and set a precedent the board was unwilling to accept as presented.

Applicants Eric Constantino and Stefano Mullen asked the board for relief to place a pool pavilion 6 feet from the lot lines where 10 feet is required and for an accessory pool structure of about 450 square feet where the code allows 120 square feet. Constantino described a roughly 15-by-30-foot open pavilion with an enclosed area for a bathroom and storage; board members and the chair repeatedly questioned the square footage and suggested the pavilion be substantially reduced.

The board noted the enclosed bathroom/storage portion (applicants variously described it as 16-by-15 or as a smaller area) appeared acceptable, but the open pavilion area was three to four times the maximum accessory‑structure size the zoning ordinance contemplates. Members said approval of a structure that large would set an undesirable precedent. The board urged the applicants to return with a new set of plans that reduce the pavilion size, and the applicants asked for a continuance to the next meeting.

The board moved to continue the item to the next month so applicants could revise plans; the chair warned that if the applicants requested a vote and the board denied it, they might be prevented from reapplying for two years for a similar proposal. No formal variance was granted at the hearing.