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Quincy ZBA continues garage-to-living-space application at 19 Amsterdam Avenue; applicants told to revise plans
Summary
The Zoning Board continued an application to convert a garage into two bedrooms and a bathroom at 19 Amsterdam Avenue to Nov. 18 and instructed the applicants to work with building inspectors on plan revisions; the board emphasized that a locked-off two-family unit would not be permitted without meeting 2-family requirements.
The Quincy Zoning Board of Appeals on Oct. 7 continued an application by Farzana Hakim to convert an existing garage into two bedrooms and a bathroom at 19 Amsterdam Avenue, a change that would create a full second unit. The board set the next hearing for Nov. 18, 2025 and asked the applicants to return with revised drawings.
Applicant Farzana Hakim said the interior conversion is intended to provide living space for elderly family members with medical needs and that the exterior of the house would remain unchanged. Hakim said the household’s intent is not to create a commercial rental unit but to accommodate parents and in-laws who do not drive.
Board members and staff noted that the presence of a gas line and an existing kitchen arrangement affects how the building inspector views the plan; the inspector informed the applicant that the proposal as drawn triggers review as a two-family dwelling under local rules. Chair Marty Akins stated the board’s longstanding policy against creating new two-family residences in that zoning district: “You don’t get a two family in Residence A today. We have never voted for that. We never will vote.”
The board directed the applicants to meet with building department staff to adjust plans so the project would not create a locked-off two-family dwelling and to submit revised drawings by Oct. 31 at 9 a.m. The board continued the matter to Nov. 18, which the chair noted is the only November meeting date for the board.
Motion and outcome: The board moved to continue the matter to Nov. 18, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.; the motion passed by voice vote.
The board also advised the applicants that if the intent is solely interior living-space reconfiguration for family use, plans should reflect a non-locked-off configuration that maintains a single-family circulation pattern. The board warned that any future creation of a two-family unit would require compliance with zoning for multi-family dwellings and would not be granted as a routine variance in that neighborhood.
