ZBA allows addition and front driveway at 132 Holbrook Street to create parking for household with special needs

The Zoning Board approved a variance for work at 132 Holbrook Street that will remove the existing roof, add an additional story and reconfigure the front entry to create a 19-foot-6-inch parking space, a change the applicant said is necessary because the household includes a person with special needs.

Attorney Patrick Foley presented the application and said the applicant will keep the existing footprint and add vertical living area to create additional living space while maintaining total bedroom count. Architect Gavin Driscoll said the project will convert first-floor living spaces and add a new set of stairs to reach two bedrooms proposed on the second floor; attic area will provide limited additional storage.

Driscoll and Foley said the property currently lacks a driveway and that the applicant intends to remove a sunroom at the front to obtain the width and depth required for a single on‑site parking space. Driscoll described the planned parking area as 19 feet, 6 inches deep, and said the front entry and sunroom would be reworked to accommodate the space.

DPW reviewed the project and “had no comments,” the board was told. No members of the public spoke in opposition; the board moved to allow the petition and the motion passed on a voice vote.

The board’s action allows the applicant to proceed to the permitting stage subject to standard permitting and DPW review of final drawings; the transcript records board members saying they would vote in favor.