Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lot Division topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ZBA grants variance to divide 72 Belmont St.; neighbors object to barn demolition and loss of gardens
Summary
The Fall River Zoning Board of Appeals on Feb. 20 granted a variance to allow the owner of 72 Belmont St. to divide the parcel into a three‑family lot and a new conforming single‑family lot, after the property's barn was demolished.
The Zoning Board of Appeals granted a variance on Feb. 20 allowing Tetral Real Estate LLC to divide 72 Belmont Street into two lots: one to contain the existing three‑family dwelling and a new conforming single‑family lot to the south.
Attorney Peter Salino said the barn that previously stood on the property was demolished after the historical commission and the building department determined it was structurally unsafe; the demolition followed earlier proposals to convert the barn into apartments. Salino told the board the petition now proposes to provide two off‑street parking spaces per unit for the existing three‑family building and to create a conforming lot for a single‑family house. The requested relief included frontage and lot‑coverage waivers for Lot 1 in the S single‑family district; the petitioner argued hardships tied to the existing structure location and lot shape.
Multiple neighbors and abutters submitted a written petition and spoke in opposition, asking the board to deny the variance and expressing concern about demolition of historic gardens and the barn, neighborhood character and privacy to backyards. Dana Barnes, a director of the Greater Fall River Art Association (located nearby), spoke in favor of the petition and told the board Tetral Real Estate had substantially rehabilitated the Chauncey Sears house and that additional off‑street parking could benefit the neighborhood.
The board made a finding that the current proposal was substantially different from prior versions and then voted to grant the variance to divide the lot, subject to successful site‑plan review for both resulting lots and conditions to address stormwater/runoff. The motion to grant the variance carried by recorded vote (John Frank; Jim Calkins; Dan DePere; Ricky Sahadi; Chairman Joseph Perera — all recorded as yes). The board also required site-plan review to confirm stormwater controls and that drainage impacts are addressed prior to conveyance or building permits.
The decision allows creation of a single‑family lot; the board noted the division would not authorize a specific new house design and that any future construction on Lot 2 would require separate review and applicable permits.
