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Quincy ZBA continues 66 Middlesex Street project to June 10 with conditions on height, plans and conservation review
Summary
The board continued a JCBT Architects proposal for 66 Middlesex Street and required updated plans to keep the building at its current height, correct dimensional forms and show a half bath in the basement; the board also asked staff to check whether Conservation/DEP review is required.
The Quincy Zoning Board of Appeals continued consideration of a finding and variance for 66 Middlesex St on May 27 and set specific conditions for the next hearing on June 10.
JCBT architect Jim Chen presented revised plans that removed proposed third‑floor dormers. Neighbors, several of whom attended the hearing, pressed the board for clarity after earlier meetings about whether the project would increase the building’s height. Residents said they understood the last hearing to involve internal remodeling rather than a change that would raise the roofline; speakers at the May 27 meeting described a range of numbers (residents and neighbors referenced existing interior ceiling heights of 7 feet and discussed raising the first floor by two feet and the second floor by one foot).
Transcript excerpts show several neighbors and councilors asking for a measured survey of the existing building height before the board acts. John Costello and other residents said the house is lower than the 34‑foot figure in the application; speakers asked the applicant to provide a certified measurement and clarified the board’s limits on allowable exposed foundation height so the rear addition would not create an additional legal story.
After discussion a board member moved to continue ZBA 25‑10 to June 10 at 6:00 p.m. The motion included several conditions: the applicant must submit new plans that reflect keeping the building height the same as currently exists, update the dimensional forms and show a half bath in the basement; the attic/third‑floor space is to have no finished living area; the rear addition as drawn was acceptable; and the continued hearing is to be subject to confirmation from Conservation and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection about whether site work requires their review. The motion was seconded and approved.
The board instructed staff to contact the relevant departments to identify any conservation/DEP filings that should accompany the next submittal.
