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Board upholds walkway abatement at 60 Clifford Terrace but holds enforcement for one year while planning review proceeds
Summary
The Abatement Appeals Board upheld an order of abatement for a disputed walkway at 60 Clifford Terrace but placed the order in abeyance for one year to allow the owner to pursue Planning Department review and a master permit; monitoring fees remain in force.
The Abatement Appeals Board voted unanimously to uphold an order of abatement for a walkway at 60 Clifford Terrace but held enforcement in abeyance for one year to allow the permit and planning review process to proceed.
Senior inspector Maurice Hernandez said the department found discrepancies in historical plans and permits dating back to the 1960s and was unable to verify the walkway's legality. The department recommended upholding the abatement and assessing costs.
Appellant Dorian Stone and consultant David Penn told the board they have advanced the planning review, amended the building application to remove the offending walkway from the permit scope and scheduled a discretionary review hearing for Oct. 11. Stone asked the board to use available tools such as waiving nonstatutory fees to reduce cost burdens while the process proceeds.
Commissioners moved to uphold the order, hold it in abeyance for one year to allow planning and permitting to resolve, and to stop assessing new fees going forward while maintaining current monitoring fees required by ordinance. The board recorded a unanimous vote, and staff was instructed to track planning progress and return with an update.
The decision balances the department's finding of no documentary evidence for the walkway against the owner's representations that a planning-led master permit pathway is now in motion.
