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Planning Board backs narrow zoning fix to preserve driveway access after New Boston Street bridge reconfiguration
Summary
The Woburn City Planning Board voted to recommend that City Council approve an amendment to Section 5.2.1.4 of the 1985 Woburn Zoning Ordinance to allow city‑created access easements and common driveways to count as legal frontage for lots affected by the New Boston Street bridge project, urging the council to note the amendment's unique circumstances.
The Woburn City Planning Board on Sept. 10 recommended City Council adopt a narrowly tailored zoning amendment to prevent properties affected by the New Boston Street bridge from becoming permanently nonconforming.
John Paul Martinetti, speaking on behalf of 317 NB Development LLC, told the board the bridge project required permanent and temporary easements that redirected frontage and would, without a fix, leave his client’s property unable to provide a conforming driveway. "317 New Boston Street, and the adjacent properties, had some permanent easements, and some temporary easements that took place, over the frontage of the properties," Martinetti said, describing how the new bridge alignment pushes the finished roadway and driveway elevations onto the parcel.
Board members probed the geographic context and potential precedent. One member warned that "spot zoning is kind of a problem" when a change appears to benefit a single parcel, asking how the board could show the amendment was limited to unique circumstances. The director and the applicant said the bridge delay and the specific easement configuration make this situation exceptional and that the proposed language was drafted with the city solicitor and the building commissioner to limit broader application.
The board closed the public hearing and voted to send a favorable recommendation to the City Council, adding in its motion that the council should record the "unique circumstances" supporting the change. The motion to recommend passage was made by Claudia and seconded by Jim Callahan; the board recorded the motion as passed.
The amendment would add a sentence to Section 5.2.1.4 of the 1985 Woburn Zoning Ordinance specifying that reconfiguration of the New Boston Street bridge and associated permanent easements created by the city will be deemed conforming frontage for purposes of legal access for affected lots. The board’s action is a recommendation only; final approval rests with City Council.
