Peabody zoning board continues Morrissey variance request for ADU at 19 Roosevelt Ave

The Peabody Zoning Board of Appeals on the night of the recorded meeting continued an application from Matthew and Maria Morrissey seeking dimensional variances to build an attached garage and an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at 19 Roosevelt Ave in an R-1 zoning district.

Board members said the request requires unusually large setbacks from required dimensions and the plans submitted lacked key measurements the board needs to confirm ADU size and compliance. Because of those concerns, the Morrisseys asked to continue the matter to the board’s next February meeting, and a motion to continue was made and entered on the record.

The applicants sought relief for multiple dimensional requirements: a front yard of 24.2 feet rather than the required 25 feet; a left side yard of 3.7 feet rather than 20 feet; and a rear yard of 25.4 feet rather than 35 feet. The proposal would add a one‑story-at‑the‑street addition with a basement below, incorporating an attached garage and an ADU on the upper level intended for the applicants’ elderly mother.

Chair, Peabody Zoning Board of Appeals, told the applicants the requested left‑side relief was far larger than the board typically grants, saying, “you’re asking for the sun, the moon, and the stars.” Another board member characterized the requested relief as beyond the board’s usual reach: “I think we’re asking for the solar system here.”

A board member also noted the plans before the board did not show the square footage of the existing dwelling, which is needed to confirm whether the ADU complies with the city’s ADU-size rules. The member observed that the plans appeared to show the ADU at 556 square feet, which they said would be 50% of the existing dwelling, but added that the board could not verify that because the plan package did not list the main house square footage. The member referenced the building department’s denial letter and noted it did not specify the ADU size either.

Applicants told the board they had considered placing the addition on the right side of the house but said grading and existing hardscape prevented running plumbing needed for a bathroom there. Matt Morrissey said the family’s immediate need is to provide a walkout-level unit with a bathroom so his mother, currently sleeping in the basement, would not need to climb stairs.

Board members suggested the applicants submit clearer, larger‑scale plans and an aerial or neighborhood map so the board can better assess lot lines and adjacent dwellings. One board member said a site visit would help and recommended the applicants either reconfigure the layout or return with updated materials rather than seek a final vote with the incomplete packet on file.

At the applicants’ request, the board recorded a motion to continue the Morrissey application to the February meeting. The transcript records the motion but does not record a formal roll‑call vote or the names of the mover and seconder in the record provided.

The agenda also noted that the application of Daniel and Kristen Callan had been continued previously to Feb. 24. The board took a separate, brief motion to accept the December minutes; the motion was moved on the record and no opposed votes are recorded in the transcript excerpt provided.

The Morrisseys were told to supply clearer plans that show the square footage of the existing house and explicit ADU dimensions before returning. The board’s next regular meeting in February was identified as the likely date to resume the application.