Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Accessory Structure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ZBA delays decision on 13-foot shed at 43 Alice Drive to confirm height and notice details
Summary
A homeowner requested a variance for a tall accessory shed placed five feet from a side property line; the board recessed consideration and asked staff to confirm the measured height rule used by the code and to re-notice if necessary.
The Concord Zoning Board of Adjustment recessed consideration of a variance request for a shed at 43 Alice Drive after staff and board members asked the applicant and code enforcement to clarify how building height is measured for pitched roofs and whether the public notice correctly reflected the structure’s actual height.
Applicant Ryan A. Martin told the board his shed sits behind a privacy fence in a corner of his lot and was located where a previous play structure stood. He said the finished structure measures roughly 13 feet 9 inches from average ground level to the ridge but that he listed 13 feet on the agenda; he applied for a permit before building. Code enforcement noted the ordinance determines height for a sloping roof by measuring to the mean level of the highest gable, which can be lower than ridge height.
Because the difference between “highest point” and the mean gable level could mean the structure falls beneath the 12-foot height threshold that triggers the setback restriction, the board asked staff to verify the measurement method and the true measured height and to re-notice the application if the published notice understated the actual height. The board moved and seconded a motion to table; the applicant was told to expect the case to be continued to the next meeting and to supply finished dimensions for staff review.
What the board asked staff to do: (1) provide a clear calculation of building height for the subject shed under the ordinance (mean gable vs. ridge), (2) confirm whether the notice given to abutters matched the structure’s height, and (3) re-notice the application for the next meeting if the originally published height was incorrect.
Outcome: matter recessed/tabled pending staff confirmation and possible re-notice.
