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Zoning board refers paired Palmer Street driveway and parking-easement cases to planning board
Summary
At its Jan. 14 meeting, the Chelsea City Zoning Board of Appeals agreed to send two linked special-permit applications for 57 and 75 Palmer St. to the Planning Board on Jan. 28 and to return the cases to the ZBA on Feb. 11; applicants seek a driveway/parking easement that crosses property lines and requires zoning relief.
CHELSEA CITY — The Chelsea City Zoning Board of Appeals on Jan. 14 referred two linked special-permit applications for 57 and 75 Palmer Street to the Planning Board for review on Jan. 28, with the cases scheduled to return to the ZBA on Feb. 11.
The applications (cases 2024-24 and 2024-25) seek special-permit relief to formalize a driveway/parking easement that would create two off-street, tandem parking spaces that straddle the property line between the two parcels. Under Chelsea zoning standards cited by staff, a driveway opening is not permitted within the required front-yard setback nor within 5 feet of a side lot line or within 5 feet of a wall containing windows. The applicants said the proposed easement will record with each parcel and remain in perpetuity.
James Christopher, an architect with 686 Architects who represents the applicant, told the board there is an existing curb cut between 57 and 75 Palmer and that the parking arrangement grew out of a prior common ownership and a parking easement created when 57 Palmer was sold. "There is an existing curb cut between number 75, and, 57 Palmer," Christopher said, summarizing the history. He described the proposed arrangement as two tandem spaces that will be created by a 7-by-50-foot easement spanning the two lots.
Board Chair Janice Detark and staff advised the applicants that because these are first hearings the board would not decide the cases that night and the items would go to the Planning Board on Jan. 28 before returning to the ZBA on Feb. 11 for further consideration.
No formal vote on the special permits was taken by the ZBA at the Jan. 14 meeting; the board recorded the procedural referral and the hearing schedule. The applicants were told to appear at the Planning Board meeting on Jan. 28 and return to this board on Feb. 11.
Next steps: the Planning Board review on Jan. 28 and a ZBA hearing on Feb. 11, when the board will consider merits and any public comment received in the interim.
