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Owner seeks in‑law apartment at 35 Ash St.; ZBA requests comparables and overlay maps
Summary
The owner of 35 Ash St. asked the ZBA for relief to allow a two‑family configuration (an in‑law basement apartment) on a lot smaller than required; the board left the hearing open and asked the applicant for comparable properties and mapping to clarify neighborhood context and parking implications.
Patrick Hedderman, owner and builder, told the Zoning Board of Appeals on June 23 that he intends to build a house at 35 Ash St. with a basement in‑law apartment sharing a stairwell with the primary unit. Because the lot is undersized for two-family use in the UR-3 district, the owner sought relief from minimum lot-size and lot-width requirements.
"I am looking to build an in law apartment in the basement," Hedderman said, adding that the house is designed to "look like a single family home" with a common stairwell and a single set of utility meters. He said the design team worked to ensure the building blends with the neighborhood and does not exceed other dimensional standards.
Board members acknowledged that when the lot was subdivided it was granted an area variance for a single-family house and that the current request differs from that original intent. Members asked Hedderman to gather comparables within roughly a one–block (bikeable) radius to show how the proposed two-family configuration compares with preexisting nonconforming lots, and to provide overlay maps (property-assessment parcel outlines on aerial imagery) that illustrate lot size and building footprints.
Board member Chris (Christopher LaPointe) and others raised parking and congestion concerns linked to potential multiple tenants; Hedderman noted he is providing parking but the board asked for visualization on how vehicles will maneuver in the alley and near the garage. The public hearing remains open; the applicant was asked to submit the requested comps and visuals before the next scheduled meeting.
Why this matters: Converting a small, subdivided lot to a formal two-family dwelling raises questions about neighborhood scale and infrastructure (notably parking and alley access). The board asked for context comparables to determine whether the request is consistent with the surrounding UR-3 district.
Next steps: Applicant to provide parcel overlays, comparable examples and additional documentation before the next ZBA meeting; the public hearing remained open.
