Zoning board approves Spring Street area variances amid resident concerns over driveways, spring and notice

The Jamestown Zoning Board approved area variances for multiple properties on Spring Street, permitting reduced lot widths and an encroachment for an enclosed porch, after residents raised concerns about driveway safety, a natural spring and whether neighbors were properly notified.

Board members and the petitioner discussed the specifics of the requests, which the court read into the record as variances from R-2 zoning bulk and setback regulations for several tax parcels on Spring Street. The board was told the R-2 minimum lot width for a two-family dwelling is 60 feet and that the petitioner requested a 10-foot lot-width variance for the identified lots. The board also noted the enclosed porch would sit closer than allowed, with a stated setback of 5.1 feet.

"It takes four votes in the affirmative for any variance request to be approved," the chair said during the item. After public comment and discussion, the board approved the area variances; board members said the architect and petitioner's funding source will report further information before construction proceeds.

Residents at the meeting expressed multiple concerns. Several speakers warned that steep driveways on the properties would be hazardous in Jamestown winters, with one resident saying, "There is no way possible to get down the hill and back up without causing an accident" and urging the board to consider safety. Others raised the proximity of the parcels to a nearby school and asked about runoff and a "natural spring" on or near the site. Board staff responded that the petitioner had worked with the city Department of Public Works and that environmental studies might be required; if future engineering required changes that reduced square footage or altered setbacks, the petitioner would need to return to the board.

Some attendees said they had not received mailed notice of the hearing. The board replied that required property-owner notices are mailed based on recorded owner names and addresses and that the city also places a legal notice in the newspaper; staff said notices are sent to property owners four days before the meeting. The board advised residents who did not receive notice to check the city clerk's records for the address on file.

The petitioner on the record was Long Associates Architects. Board members directed staff to collect and report additional information from the architect and the identified funding source before the project moves forward. No specific construction timetable or funding details were provided at the meeting.

Votes at a glance: The board approved the motion to grant the area variances for the Spring Street parcels (lot-width and lot-area variances; enclosed porch setback encroachment). The board announced the motion had been approved; the transcript records that a motion was made by Panadienico and the board confirmed approval, but the roll-call vote tally was not specified in the record.