Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ordinance Interpretation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Portsmouth ZBA navigates corner‑lot rules and approves side‑yard variance at 90 Aquidneck Avenue
Summary
The board approved a 6.7‑foot side‑yard variance for renovations at 90 Aquidneck Avenue after lengthy discussion over how Portsmouth's ordinance treats double frontages on corner lots and whether front‑yard averaging applies.
Applicants Andrew Grama and Gregory Abel sought variances tied to additions at their corner property, 90 Aquidneck Avenue. Their attorney and design team presented drone imagery and surveys to show the house's existing setbacks and argued that recent ordinance changes and the average‑setback rule should avoid the need for front‑yard relief.
Board members and staff engaged in extended legal and practical discussion over how the ordinance treats corner lots with two frontages. Planning staff advised that although the new average‑setback rule can eliminate front‑yard relief in some cases, the site's second frontage (effectively a side yard under the code) still requires a side‑yard variance in this instance. The staff calculation produced a side‑yard shortfall of about 6.7 feet, which the applicants justified based on lot shape and the desire to convert a seasonal house to year‑round use.
After reviewing adjacent properties, aerial views and support letters from neighbors, the board voted to approve the requested side‑yard dimensional variance. Members noted the renovation preserves the general neighborhood character and that other properties on the street have similar setbacks.
